From interviewing high school students to elected officials, student journalists play a vital role in voicing the sentiments of their peers and protecting one of the most fundamental rights we hold as U.S. citizens: the freedom of speech. On the Panther Prowler staff, we respect the rights of each and every member to freely express their opinions, investigate topics of concern in our community and hold elected officials accountable. We aim to produce accurate and reliable information to not only our peers at Newbury Park High School, but to the community at large.
Central to protecting our free speech as a student-run publication is California Education Code 48907 set into place in 1977, which declares our right to publish our paper free from prior restraint. Student journalists are also protected by shield laws, and are sanctioned fair comment and criticism rights. These rights allow students to express their opinions on public matters, and protect us against libel lawsuits.
Hazelwood v. Kuhlmier was brought to the Supreme Court in 1987 after the principal of Hazelwood East High School in Missouri removed two pages from the student newspaper. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the school district. As a result, California law evolved to become an “Anti-Hazelwood state” under Education Code 48907 in order to protect student publications from prior restraint. Instead, all California student publications abide by the rules of prior review. As a student-run publication, The Panther Prowler staff is educated on the laws and ethics of journalism each year. The education of laws and ethics within journalism are vital to the success of our paper as we report as a professional news source.
On The Panther Prowler staff, students collaborate as a team to write articles, track down interviews, take photos and design pages. Behind each article that comes out of the printer is a careful chain of writing, editing and re-editing. In addition, the adviser of our newspaper ensures that students abide by journalism laws and ethics. While our adviser plays an important role in the way our publication runs, our newspaper is ultimately fully student-run. This system strives to provide the most accurate, factual reporting as we aim to combat a rise in misinformation. Each staff member is told that their voice matters, and encouraged to express their opinions on topics that are personal to them. However, individual opinions are limited to the opinion section of our paper, and belong to the author in the byline of the article. Editorials reflect the opinion of the entire staff, and remain unsigned.
In the past, The Panther Prowler has covered a spectrum of local and national topics relevant to the student body, from school board elections to the impacts of the conflict in Iran. This year, The Panther Prowler is publishing seven issues in addition to our special addition magazine. Subscriptions for the physical newspaper are available, as we aim to expand our readership beyond our local community. We will continue to uphold the values of good journalism, and remain a reliable source of information for the public.
Leave a Reply