Now more than ever, it’s important for student journalists to stand together.
The ninth annual Student Press Freedom Day is Feb. 26. This is a national day of action created by the Student Press Law Center to celebrate student journalists’ important role in their community, acknowledge the censorship they face and advocate for better press freedom protections. This year’s theme is Resilience in Action.
In a nation where journalism is constantly under attack by the current administration, the theme seems fitting. Student journalists across the country have to push through censorship, intimidation and even legal threats on their own campuses.
The Indiana Daily Student, the student publication at Indiana University, was hit with a wave of censorship last October. The university attempted to restrict the content that was published, and when the publication’s leadership refused, they terminated former Director of Student Media Jim Rodenbush. The IDS then published an article online titled “CENSORED” highlighting the issue. They had to publish online because they weren’t allowed to print.
At UT Dallas, the editor-in-chief for the independently produced paper, The Retrograde, has faced threats of suspension for simply doing his job, editing. After receiving a letter to the editor with information that was proven inaccurate by many sources, the EIC followed publication policies and provided the correct information.
Here at The Collegian, we’ve dealt with our own set of restrictions. Employees across all campuses have been warned not to talk to us without the approval of the administration. This feels like an attempt to restrict our reporting. Despite these roadblocks we have found ways to get important stories to our audience: the students.
We are a student publication, run by students and written for students. Our priority is to report on the news that will affect students. So, when we have to jump through unnecessary hoops that are time-consuming, it makes it hard to do that.
We give a unique perspective and live similar lives to our readers. We provide a trusted source for young voices to share their stories and worries.
That’s the power of student journalism.
Student journalists are on the front lines covering challenging but important stories that affect our communities. From racist incidents on campus to LGBTQ+ discrimination, we are the ones who are standing up for our students when local news agencies can’t, either because the story isn’t deemed big enough or because local news is also facing their own cuts.
People don’t realize how crucial a publication like The Collegian is to the success and function of TCC. We hold our college leadership accountable and show how their decisions affect students. Without students, TCC would cease to exist, so it’s crucial that students are informed about how the school is working for and possibly against them.
Due to budget cuts and intimidation across the nation to all forms of news media, local news stations face their own set of restrictions, causing important community stories to sometimes fall through the cracks. And that’s where student media comes in.
Students are sometimes the only ones covering board of trustee meetings where important information is discussed. Without student journalists there, who knows what changes could be implemented that could end up going under the radar?
So, when school administrators or other officials create roadblocks and use censorship, they not only bury important stories, but they are also challenging the very core value of this country: freedom.
Young journalists need greater student press freedom now more than ever before. We must keep telling important stories in our communities and creating impactful pieces that hold our leaders accountable.
