Censorship isn't always cut and dry. Over the next few weeks, we're highlighting some common red flags, so you can keep an eye out for censorship.

"My principal demands to read everything we write before it's published."

This is called prior review, which is a form of administrative control roundly condemned by every national journalism education group in the country as the wrong way to teach journalism. If you attend an American public college or university, courts have said that insisting on administrative prior approval violates the First Amendment and is illegal. No similar legal authority exists to protect high school journalists from the practice, though there are important First Amendment limitations on how school officials do this at public high schools.

Newsmakers you cover, like a principal, probably have no journalism training or experience, unlike a journalism adviser. Because school officials hold positions of power and are likely the subject of your coverage, requiring them to review news about them before publication violates every tenet of sound journalism.

Prior review can lead students to self-censor — deciding not to pursue a story or angle for fear of getting in trouble. Moreover, school officials who screen student work — effectively giving the work an official “stamp of approval” — may be creating financial liability for their school that they might otherwise avoid.

If you're experiencing censorship, or have a student media law question, head to SPLC's legal hotline for support.

Legal Hotline

Self-Censorship Quiz

Do you know self-censorship when you see it?

Student journalists must be empowered to tell the stories most important to their communities, free from overt censorship, and able to withstand the pressures that lead to self-censorship.

Take the quiz, share with your newsroom, and learn how to better identify and resist self-censorship.

Take the quiz

Applications now open for SPLC high school and college press freedom awards

The Student Press Law Center just opened our award applications. The Student Press Law Center is looking to recognize one high school program and one college program for their courageous student journalism. Both awards come with cash prizes!

The submission deadline is Aug. 15, 2022, so tell your students to apply now!

Apply now

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