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Bill would protect rights of student journalists
The House approved a bill to give student media First Amendment protection, which they do not have
by Jason N. Reed | News Reporter |
High school and college student-journalists in Oregon may have greater First Amendment protection on the horizon because of a student press bill that passed out of the House last week, but legislative deadlines and a prior U.S. Supreme Court ruling may upset the bill's intent.
The Oregon House passed a bill Wednesday that states: "Student journalists have the right to exercise freedom of speech and of the press in school-sponsored media," and, "Student journalists are responsible for determining the news, opinion and feature content of school-sponsored media."
Student journalists are not afforded the same rights as traditional media, as the school newspapers are subject to an administrative filtering process. Articles dealing with topics that are potentially controversial or defamatory can be edited or cut from the student publication if an administrator decides to take that action. Administrators claim they are protecting the local school board, which is the ultimate entity owning the responsibility of any student publication.
Passing out of the House with a 39-16 vote, House Bill 3279 now has to move out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and onto the Senate floor for a vote. The bill has a public hearing and possible work session scheduled for May 29, but the deadline for all bills to pass out of committees is May 31 - two days to be reviewed, amended and passed on to the Senate for a vote.
House legislators went through a very similar process with the bill, and it took nearly two months to make it to the House floor for a vote.
Two amendments were made to the bill: the removal of "advertising" from protected expression, and the right of a student suing under the proposed statute to be awarded $100 in damages from a civil court.
Washington state lawmakers were recently in a similar situation, and First Amendment protections for students ultimately lost to legislative deadlines. A bill protecting freedom of speech and press for student journalists passed out of the Washington state House and was referred to its Judiciary Committee. The bill did not make it to the Senate floor for a vote and died in legislation.
The Oregon House passed a bill Wednesday that states: "Student journalists have the right to exercise freedom of speech and of the press in school-sponsored media," and, "Student journalists are responsible for determining the news, opinion and feature content of school-sponsored media."
Student journalists are not afforded the same rights as traditional media, as the school newspapers are subject to an administrative filtering process. Articles dealing with topics that are potentially controversial or defamatory can be edited or cut from the student publication if an administrator decides to take that action. Administrators claim they are protecting the local school board, which is the ultimate entity owning the responsibility of any student publication.
Passing out of the House with a 39-16 vote, House Bill 3279 now has to move out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and onto the Senate floor for a vote. The bill has a public hearing and possible work session scheduled for May 29, but the deadline for all bills to pass out of committees is May 31 - two days to be reviewed, amended and passed on to the Senate for a vote.
House legislators went through a very similar process with the bill, and it took nearly two months to make it to the House floor for a vote.
Two amendments were made to the bill: the removal of "advertising" from protected expression, and the right of a student suing under the proposed statute to be awarded $100 in damages from a civil court.
Washington state lawmakers were recently in a similar situation, and First Amendment protections for students ultimately lost to legislative deadlines. A bill protecting freedom of speech and press for student journalists passed out of the Washington state House and was referred to its Judiciary Committee. The bill did not make it to the Senate floor for a vote and died in legislation.
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