Press rights help to express student voices
Coming out of a major pandemic and social unrest, 2022 has been a year for healing. However, amid the recovery, hate and fear still festered within the community and country. Student voices are needed to combat this disorder and to help influence the world to be a better place for the future generations.
Although our ability to freely speak in our student press is protected at the present, it took a very long time to get to where we are today. In the winter of 1969, one of the most well known cases of free speech started in the town of Des Moines, Iowa. The gathering of students and parents, and a discussion about protest on the Vietnam War led to a direct repercussion from the school officials, placing immediate policies to stop these kids from expressing their voices. Students who wore armbands to protest were immediately sent home and suspended the next day.
However, even with the students being censored, their freedom of speech prevailed in the long run, with the case of Tinker v. Des Moines. This 1969 US Supreme Court case solidified students’ free speech, ruling that students did not give up their freedom of speech when they entered the schoolhouse gate.
Shortly after the Tinker v. Des Moines case, the California Education Code 48907 was passed in 1977. This Ed Code ultimately protects student journalists rights, granting the students the same expression freedoms as their professional counterparts.
Using these protections, the Panther Prowler’s objective is to report national and local news, giving the public a student perspective on these issues. Many might not always agree with the topics we discuss, but the protections we are granted allow us to report on these topics freely and truthfully. Although our student voices have been suppressed in the past, we have always fought to spread the truth and fight censorship.
We do not aim to push a political agenda or the values of our adviser or the administration. We aim to write with honesty and integrity, reporting about the news to the best of our ability. From government arguments to school board disputes in our community, it is extremely important to cover all news no matter how controversial.
Here at Newbury Park High School, the Panther Prowler is a completely student run publication. The student editors at the Panther Prowler are completely responsible for the news we report on, and to sustain the values of proper journalism. Together as a staff, we will forever dedicate our time to reporting and elevating student voices throughout our entire community.
