Published: February 15, 2018
The Walter Cronkite New Voices Act is a piece of legislation that would protect student journalists’ first amendment rights, in school-sponsored media. If New Voices were to pass, it would undo the previous decision made by the Supreme Court in Hazelwood V. Kuhlmeier, that allows school administrators to decide what content is acceptable for the student journalists to cover and report on.
The past two years the New Voices act has failed to be voted on the Missouri Senate Floor. On Jan. 17 supporters of the bill started the process again for the third time in the Elementary and Secondary Education House Committee, where they spoke about what it means to be a first amendment school and how other schools in Missouri would benefit from that as well.
On behalf of student journalists, thank you for taking the time to learn more about house bill 1940.
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.
Video: The Walter Cronkite New Voices Act is a piece of legislation that would protect student journalists’ right to exercise freedom of the speech and of the press in school-sponsored media. This is regardless of whether or not the school district financially supports the media or if the publication is produced as part of a class.The act is slowly making progress up the ladder and many Missouri Journalists’ are anxious and hopeful for its passing.
Aside from the opportunity to receive and exercise the constitutional rights that this bill would give back to students, there are also numerous other educational benefits that would come with it. For students that want a career in journalism, having the freedoms that go along with the bill will help prepare them for their careers by placing the responsibility of a professional publication in their hands.
For students that are a part of the program for fun, the responsibility that is given to them can teach them critical skills and prepare them for any job or career that they might have. When student journalists are able to cover what they want to cover they get to start the conversation about things that matter to teenagers, they get to create hard-hitting pieces about things that students are talking about on the daily.
The students that just go to the school with first amendment rights will become more informed about those subjects and have information on places they can get support and help. This information comes from the journalism program and the stories that they are creating. The passing of this bill helps the growth and support teenagers, in many different ways.
A bill starts out in the House or Senate, the process is the same for both of them, for this example let’s say the bill starts in the House. The bill is brought to the House and is then read a couple times so that it is sent to the correct committee, the New Voices act got sent to the Elementary and Secondary Education House Committee. Committees in the House and Senate are groups of congressman that handles a specific duty. When the bill is heard in the House people that are for the passing of the bill can speak to the committee and those who are against is can as well. After the people speak the committee members decide if they want to have the bill continue to the House floor. When it makes it to the House floor the congressmen vote on it and if it passes it continues to the Senate.
When it reaches the Senate it gets read over and sent to the right committee again. At the committee hearing, people can again speak in support or against the proposed bill. Amendments or changes to the bill would happen at this time after it is sent to the Senate floor to be voted on again. This is where the New Voices Act has been stopped previous years. Based on the changes the Senate made to the bill three things can happen at this point.
If the bill passes through the House and Senate in identical forms it is then sent to the governor. If the bill has changed and passes in the Senate with those changes, it is sent back to the House and voted on again. If it passes the House again it is then sent to the governor. If it doesn’t pass in the House with the amendments it is sent back to the Senate for reconsideration. If the Senate doesn’t change the amendments, members from the House and Senate meet in a conference committee to reach an agreement. After an agreement is made it is then sent to the governor.
Once it reaches the governor they can sign it, and it becomes a law. If they veto it the bill can still pass with ⅔ approval from both the House and Senate. If it doesn’t get the ⅔ approval it fails to become a bill.
To help make sure that house bill 1940 becomes a law this year there are ways that you can help.
An easy way that you can help this bill become a law is to help inform others about what it is and what it would mean if it became a law. Another way to help is to contact your representatives.
For most at FHN, your representative will be Phil Christofanelli you can reach him at 573-751-2949 or [email protected] or Chrissy Sommer who can be reached at 573-751-1452 or [email protected]. Your senator will be Bill Eigel who can be reached at 573-751-1141. You can also contact MO Cronkite New Voices Act sponsor, Representative Kevin Corlew at 571-751-3618 or [email protected].
All of the above can also be reached at the following address: 201 West Capitol Avenue room number, Jefferson City, MO, 6510. Representative Christofanelli is in room 116-1, Representative Sommer is in room 401-A, Representative Corlew is in room 201-BA and Senator Eigel is in room 226.
If your representative or senator differs, you can find your legislators here.
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