Published: February 15, 2018
New Voices of Missouri is a movement to give student journalists in the state the right to report without fear of consequences or prior review. Now in the state, schools can and are following the Hazelwood V. Kuhlmeier Supreme Court decision which allows administrators to prohibit the publishing of certain pieces of journalism that are deemed inappropriate by the administrators. Cronkite New Voices Act would reverse that so that student journalists have their first amendment rights in regard to freedom of the press, to go along with the rest of their first amendment rights that they are granted from the Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District court case. The Tinker case states that students don’t drop their first amendment rights at the school door.
If new voices were to pass, the student journalists would be the ones responsible for determining the content of the school sponsored media, and the material will not be suppressed due to political or controversial matters. The New Voices act will not protect students if they are putting together pieces that are libelous or slanderous, an unwarranted invasion of privacy or violates state or federal law.
In simple terms with New Voices, student journalists will have the right to report on controversial matters or subjects that might be seen as inappropriate by some school administrators without censorship.
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