Table of Contents
Washington State Representative Champions Students’ Press Freedom
The Student Press Law Center reports that a Washington state representative is sponsoring a bill to protect the press freedom of high school and college students and to forbid wrongful punishment of newspaper advisors. HB 1307 would protect student media outlets even when they are financially supported by the school or connected to class work.
This bill would make Washington the only other state besides California to pass a law protecting college press freedom.
Washington and California’s legislative efforts follow the Hosty v. Carter decision in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, which applied precedent governing high school speech to the collegiate press, giving universities more regulatory power over college media. You can read FIRE’s amicus brief in that case here.
Recent Articles
FIRE’s award-winning Newsdesk covers the free speech news you need to stay informed.
'The Identity Trap' by Yascha Mounk
Writer and academic Yascha Mounk argues that a new set of ideas about race, gender, and sexual orientation have overtaken society, giving rise to a rigid focus on identity in our national debate. In his new book, "," Yascha seeks to take these...
Tulane’s ban on ‘rude’ messages earns FIRE’s lowest speech code rating
Bad speech codes contribute to a school’s score in the rankings, and this policy is the sole reason the university earns FIRE’s worst, “red light” rating.
In wake of Robert George event shoutdown, Washington College vows to improve response to disruptive protests
Earlier this month, Princeton professor Robert George’s appearance at Washington College provided yet another example of what’s known as the “heckler’s veto.”