The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is very clear on what it allows, being the freedoms of peaceful assembly, religion, speech, petition and press. The last of those rights previously listed is one thing that has been infringed upon since the Supreme Court ruling of Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier. This specific court case lead to schools from all around the country to censor and stop stories from being printed in school newspapers, for any reason that the administrators want.

The steps to overrule this catastrophic court case have began to take place, as numerous states around the country have passed laws that forbid prior censorship of student journalists. The same process has been taking place in Missouri, as HB 2058, better known as the ‘New Voices Act,’ has passed in the Missouri House of Representatives and is currently in committee, waiting to be voted on by the Missouri Senate. There’s just one problem, namely being that Sen. David Pearce is not allowing the bill to leave committee, and letting it die if it doesn’t leave committee by Friday.

This is an attack on the only profession that is protected by the U.S. Constitution. The fact that this bill is being blocked is a direct violation of the First Amendment, as the Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier case already was an infringement on the First Amendment rights of aspiring journalists across the country. The Constitution is non-negotiable. The First Amendment is non-negotiable. Freedom of the press is non-negotiable.

Not only does the state of Missouri need this bill to be passed, but the entire nation, as a whole, needs this bill to be passed. If Sen. Pearce allows this bill to die in committee, he will be sending a loud and clear message that he does not believe that the First Amendment right of freedom of the press is a right that all journalists should be entitled to. Freedom of the press wasn’t granted to us by the Founding Fathers to report on the local football team’s recent performances or to cover the new ice cream shop that just opened down the street. Freedom of the press was granted to us so we could cover controversial issues, to keep the government and those in power responsible. If Sen. Pearce doesn’t allow this bill to be voted on in the Senate, the message will be clear, that the rights of aspiring journalists do not matter and the right of free press is only applicable to a select few individuals.