Student Press Law Center
@splc.org
Free legal help and info for student journalists. Champion of their First Amendment rights. 🏛️ Legal Hotline: SPLC.org/legalhelp ✉️ Subscribe: SPLC.org/newsletter 🤝 Support student press freedom: SPLC.org/donate
Student media advisers, have you had “The Talk” with your students yet? Having a conversation with them about your constraints as an adviser is never easy. Read our guide so you feel prepared to speak with your students before you get too far into the school year: https://loom.ly/AsXxyck
Educators, join us tomorrow for an open conversation with our friends at the Center for Community News! Bring your legal questions, or just hear what's on everyone else's mind as we head into the semester and the final stretch of election season. Register here: https://loom.ly/Cg-2aUk
New Voices advocacy starts long before a legislature convenes. Our new Guide to Legislative Calendars walks through the key terms and dates advocates need to know, plus what you can do in the off-season to build momentum for student press freedom legislation in 2027. https://loom.ly/CtClXcM
When the White House punishes journalists for coverage it doesn’t like, it does more than raise First Amendment concerns. It also creates a chilling effect that reaches far beyond Washington, D.C., including into student newsrooms. https://loom.ly/hG9cUC4
Why the White House press ban hurts us all - Student Press Law Center
This is not the first time Trump has tried to punish journalists for coverage he didn’t like. The pattern, however, continues to set an anti-press tone across the nation, and student journalists are among those who feel it most.
splc.org
Some administrators value accountability journalism. Increasingly, though, others turn to an alarming playbook: stonewall requests for comment, then publicly discredit the reporting — sometimes escalating to legal threats. Four student journalists share their stories: https://loom.ly/5mc2Ihc
The reporting their universities didn’t want - Student Press Law Center
Four college journalists speak out on the importance of standing up to administrators
splc.org
We’re honoring Constitution Day by amplifying the role of student journalists in shaping our democracy, and the landmark cases that protect — and limit — their right to report the truth. https://loom.ly/Ye3CZzo
Looking back on key student free speech & expression cases
This Constitution Day, we take a look back on the key student free speech & expression SCOTUS cases that shaped the current legal landscape.
splc.org
25 students, 15 states, one mission. Our seventh annual New Voices Student Leaders Institute may have wrapped up this summer, but the students' yearlong advocacy has just begun. Read their reflections on what comes next 👇 https://loom.ly/D9Yj3Bg
SPLC institute trains students to lead press freedom fights - Student Press Law Center
Twenty-five high school students from 15 states logged into the Student Press Law Center’s New Voices Student Leaders Institute this summer expecting to learn about press freedom, but they say they took away so much more. After two weeks of training and collaborating with their peers, they’re now equipped with the leadership skills, advocacy strategies and confidence to lead campaigns for press freedom in their states and communities.
splc.org
The Guardian explored how high schoolers dealing with threats to their reporting are increasingly calling in legal backup from the Student Press Law Center. Through our hotline, censorship-related requests were up 17% last school year compared to the prior year. 📰⚖️ https://loom.ly/VaMlrCs
Even high school reporters are facing censorship now
As teenage journalists deal with threats to their school newspapers, they’re calling in attorneys for back up
theguardian.com
Our executive director recently joined the Mission Forward podcast to talk about SPLC's two speeds: urgent and patient. We practice this patient urgency every day by answering today's crisis, while building toward student press freedom in all 50 states. 🎧 Listen here: https://loom.ly/3h3ES8U
NEWS: A large student media coalition filed an amicus brief yesterday warning the 11th Circuit that student press freedom is at stake in its review of the University of Alabama’s decision to close two magazines because they focused on women and Black students. See the brief: https://loom.ly/HvPcNsk
📣 We're proud to announce that longtime media lawyer Melissa Bevan Melewsky will join SPLC on Sept. 28 as our first legal director. She brings her expertise supporting journalists at the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association to the fight for student press freedom. Read more: https://loom.ly/qUcQeTQ
A federal judge ruled Friday that the government can't use immigration law to punish or silence international students — including journalists — for protected speech. It's a major win for the Stanford Daily and the First Amendment. Read more: https://loom.ly/K3e9tzc
With SPLC’s support, incoming Franklin College junior Olivia O’Neal published an award-winning story about Afghan evacuees living in Indiana. Read how SPLC’s pre-publication review services help students gain extra confidence in their work. 🔗 https://loom.ly/u9LPp9A
With SPLC’s backing, Franklin College students produce nationally recognized journalism for Indiana residents - Student Press Law Center
Incoming junior Olivia O’Neal was recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists for best in-depth reporting at schools with 10,000 or fewer students for her powerful story on Afghan evacuees living in Indiana. The Student Press Law Center was proud to arrange free, pre-publication legal vetting for the piece.
splc.org
Want to make a difference for student press freedom this fall? Apply to be SPLC's inaugural Rosalind G. Stark intern! This paid internship is open to law and journalism students and offers hands-on experience. Reviews begin Aug. 31, so don’t wait. Learn more and apply: https://loom.ly/g5foqzo
Rosalind G. Stark Student Press Freedom Internship (Fall 2026) - Student Press Law Center
Applications are open for Fall 2026 for the Student Press Law Center's Rosalind G. Stark Student Press Freedom Internship.
splc.org
“SIUE has met our concerns with apparent indifference,” said a second letter sent by SPLC and FIRE. We are requesting a substantive response to the university’s “non-negotiable” insistence to sit in on interviews between SIUE staff and reporters at The Alestle. Read it: https://loom.ly/aSiLk2s
SPLC, FIRE renew demand for SIUE officials to end mandatory monitoring of student press interviews - Student Press Law Center
We are disappointed you have failed to address our concerns and have not even attempted to work productively with us to improve the atmosphere for the student press at SIUE, a joint letter said.
splc.org
Educators, do you plan to teach your students about the law this year? Let us do it! Did you know you can invite an SPLC attorney into your classroom or newsroom (virtually & for free 🤠) to give a presentation on a media-law topic of your choice? 🔗 https://splc.org/speakers/
Student journalists in Virginia are looking to secure student press freedom protections in 2027. Read the full story below. https://loom.ly/X6llYRo
Student journalists hope General Assembly will take up New Voices Act next year
Student journalists across Virginia are forming a new coalition to create protections for free speech in the classroom.
wvtf.org
Even before IU fired him last fall, Jim Rodenbush and many others have turned to the SPLC Legal Hotline during times of uncertainty. Read how SPLC helped him and the Indiana Daily Student editors respond to administrative pressure and restore their print edition. 🔗 https://loom.ly/WhVUdXQ
Reporting on a story and need help getting the info you need? Simply describe what records you’re looking for, and we’ll create a formal letter with legal citations that you can send to your local or state government agency. 🔗 https://loom.ly/oTOZvKo
How can students build civic resilience amid AI and declining trust in news? Help us explain at SXSW EDU that educators & press freedom advocates can teach all students to think like journalists & support New Voices so young people can take part in civic life. 🗳️ Vote: https://loom.ly/ZefdG0g
CNN's Jake Tapper spoke with student journalists Ben Mueller and Madison Bishop about how their reporting on the Epstein files sparked controversy and censorship from school officials. We were proud to help these students as they stood up for their free press rights. https://loom.ly/V3716gQ
High school newspaper’s report on Epstein files triggers free speech fight | CNN
Ben Mueller and Madison Bishop join The Lead.
cnn.com
Welcome back, students and educators! No matter what this new school year brings, know we are here for you. We have the legal resources and trainings you need to share your stories with confidence and courage. Check out all of our back-to-school resources at https://splc.org/back-to-school/
Join the SPLC team this fall as the inaugural Stark Student Press Freedom Intern! ✨ This paid internship for a law or journalism student is supported by a new endowment established in honor of former SPLC chair Rosalind Stark. Reviews begin Aug. 31. Learn more and apply: https://loom.ly/g5foqzo
Rosalind G. Stark Student Press Freedom Internship (Fall 2026) - Student Press Law Center
Applications are open for Fall 2026 for the Student Press Law Center's Rosalind G. Stark Student Press Freedom Internship.
splc.org
Your vote could help us, @splc.org & @presspassnyc.bsky.social host a panel at #SxSW2027! 1 - Check out our proposal: "Think Like a Journalist: Building Civic Resilience" 2 - Like it with a ❤️ (a free account is required) It's that easy! ⤵️
participate.sxsw.com
A Texas principal deleted their photos of a student walkout, but two student journalists didn’t let it silence them. Unfortunately, their story is part of a larger pattern. ICE-related walkouts were the largest subject of censorship reported to our Legal Hotline this year. https://loom.ly/te5WQv0
Deleted photos, silenced voices: ICE walkouts most censored story of the year - Student Press Law Center
As thousands of students across the country walked out of school in January and February to protest the killing of two Minneapolis residents by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, many student journalists were prevented from covering one of the biggest stories of the year. It was the single largest subject of censorship reported to SPLC's Legal Hotline this school year.
splc.org
"Non-negotiable." That's how an SIUE official described the requirement that she be present at interviews between staff and student reporters at The Alestle. SPLC and FIRE sent SIUE a joint letter demanding an end to the practice. Read it: https://loom.ly/9GimwNQ
SPLC, FIRE call on SIUE to end 'media-minder' practice - Student Press Law Center
SIUE must end this practice if it is to live up to its stated commitment to student press freedom and its constitutional obligations as a public institution, a joint letter said.
splc.org
Before students at the University of Florida published a series on the link between chemical exposure and Parkinson’s disease, SPLC provided free legal vetting. From our new Impact Report, learn more about this SPLC service that empowers essential, complex reporting: 🔗 https://loom.ly/NOCxjto
🗳️ We need your vote! SPLC and our partners @newslit.org and @presspassnyc.bsky.social have proposed a session for SXSW EDU 2027. Help us share a message of news literacy and press freedom! Vote today: https://loom.ly/ZefdG0g
PanelPicker | SXSW Conference & Festivals
PanelPicker® is the official SXSW user-generated session proposal platform. Enter ideas and vote to help shape Conference programming for SXSW and SXSW EDU.
participate.sxsw.com
📢 We're up for a #SxSW2027 panel & your vote could make it happen! ℹ️ The panel in collaboration with @splc.org & @presspassnyc.bsky.social explores how educators, press freedom advocates & youth reporters can build civic resilience through student journalism & news literacy. Vote with a ❤️ ⤵️
PanelPicker | SXSW Conference & Festivals
PanelPicker® is the official SXSW user-generated session proposal platform. Enter ideas and vote to help shape Conference programming for SXSW and SXSW EDU.
participate.sxsw.com
Our founder Lara Bergen has been proposed for a SXSW EDU panel, "Think Like A Journalist," alongside leaders from the @splc.org & @newslit.org. The topic: helping students navigate AI fakes and misinformation by thinking like journalists. Please vote this month! participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sx...
PanelPicker | SXSW Conference & Festivals
PanelPicker® is the official SXSW user-generated session proposal platform. Enter ideas and vote to help shape Conference programming for SXSW and SXSW EDU.
participate.sxsw.com