Censorship Chats

Send me an IM sometime when you get back; I'm the Editor at a school newspaper in Maryland that's having some censorship issues, and I'm trying to get a feel of what other schools deal with. Thanks!

My name is Brian; I'm a school newspaper editor in Maryland. I saw you in the member directory. My newspaper has been dealing with some censorship issues, and I'm trying to get a feel of what other schools deal with. Would you mind if I asked you a couple questions? :)


Does your administration take an interest in the paper...reading articles before it goes to print or anything? 


We wanted to print an article about thong etiquitte; the principal said it was highly inappropriate and wouldn't let us. He reads all the articles before we print the paper. He also suggests changes to some articles every issue. We want to publish things on racism -- a big issue -- and we don't think he will let us. So we're not sure what to do.

TheBump:  Thanks! Does your administration take an interest in the paper...reading articles before it goes to print or anything?  
Angel42915:  they usually don't give a care.  if there's anything we think could cause "problems" our advisor goes ahead and takes it to the principal and lets him read it
TheBump:  How often does that happen?
Angel42915:  usually whenver I decide to write something controversial [winks]
TheBump:  Lol.
TheBump:  What is the most controversial thing your paper has published in the past few years?
Angel42915:  my commentary on the dress code
TheBump:  Heh. What was the admin's reaction?
Angel42915:  oh he was mad.  he said it was tacky and said i was tacky and just fussed in general.  (but then again that's just how mr. risinger is.)
Angel42915:  but he let us print it
Angel42915:  he still calls me "Poison Pen" and I wrote that my sophomore year

Silv3r T3arz:  David W. Butler high school in matthews, NC    -- Nope --


School Name -- Articles Read Before Print? -- Notable Info
Linganore -- No --  If something goes down and it makes her look bad, we get a warning...we've gotten about 3 or 4 (I lost count) where if we screw up again she'll start looking...she is all talk.  we did an article about how to apply a condom a few years back, prom issue..admin didnt like it.


TheBump:  Does your administration take an interest in the paper...reading articles before it goes to print or anything? 

Sftball Babe2698:  ya they have to read the paper before we can send it to be printed
TheBump:  Has it been like that since you can remember?
Sftball Babe2698:  yep
TheBump:  How does the staff feel? Does it cause you to write less controversial stories/
Sftball Babe2698:  not really...but we do have to be careful what we print...our sponser is pretty fair on what we can write and not...and if it has something dealing w/ the school that we dont like as long as we have the facts it can be printed
TheBump:  oh okay. so as long as u have the facts, the admin will allow it to be printed, no matter what?
TheBump:  ..as long as its not one-sided or sensational i guess?
Sftball Babe2698:  ya 
Sftball Babe2698:  it has to cover both sides
TheBump:  interesting. thanks!
TheBump:  whats ur schools name and location/
Sftball Babe2698:  but i'm not saying that we can't have opinions we print alot of opinionated pieces
Sftball Babe2698:  Plum Senior High School, Pittsburgh, PA
TheBump:  cool. thank you!
Sftball Babe   Nikki


scoleman@gcsc.k12.in.us
Jessica Hamilton

Gonzaga -- has to have a fair presentation of their side -- not just shooting down the opponent; has to be written in a careful tone and with good language (private christian school)


IThinkiMayBeNuts:  No....only the newspaper advisor reads them
IThinkiMayBeNuts:  the administration gets it after print
IThinkiMayBeNuts:  not to the best of my knowledge...they were kinda upset with an editorial on parking one time, but they understand that the whole purpose of the paper is so that the students have a voice, so they didn't do anything
IThinkiMayBeNuts:  Aaron Robinson, Spaulding High School, Barre, VT
TheBump:  cool,t hanks.
IThinkiMayBeNuts:  no prob
TheBump:  any notable controversial stories you've got in the paper? heh
IThinkiMayBeNuts:  We had one last year that was about the importance of having JROTC in the school system...it caused a huge debate in our school...

Indiana --  Linzy729:  I've heard my advisor speak of a time a while back when we were having some really bad censorship problems, and the administration began to feel the urge to read everything before it was printed, but I'm pretty sure they don't do that anymore.  I guess it became too time consuming of a job.



TheBump:  heh, does your advisor read stories before they go to print at your school?
LILONE026:  no
TheBump:  Lucky :) have they ever been unhappy with an article?
LILONE026:  yeah
TheBump:  could you explain to me what happened?
LILONE026:  but they don't censor us out, we pissed them off so much once that we had a parent write back and we got published in the local newspaper for it
Olathe East
Olathe, KS


ILoveBenAffLecK8:  yes
TheBump:  Have they cut articles?
ILoveBenAffLecK8:  we've done things on racism
TheBump:  what happened?
ILoveBenAffLecK8:  ummm...we just did same sex relationships
ILoveBenAffLecK8:  they let it stay
TheBump:  Did they say why? Were they unhappy/
ILoveBenAffLecK8:  they can't really take it out if it isnt offensive
ILoveBenAffLecK8:  yeah...but they cant take it out
ILoveBenAffLecK8:  Marisa Sutherland Chaffey HS Orlando, California
ILoveBenAffLecK8:  but i wrote the homosexual story
TheBump:  o ok, what was that about? hehe
ILoveBenAffLecK8:  if it is accepted
TheBump:  ah.
ILoveBenAffLecK8:  i interveiwed three students on it
TheBump:  so why is that bad? hehe
ILoveBenAffLecK8:  and put there opinions in it
ILoveBenAffLecK8:  well...at the time it offended a lot of people...we got so many letters to the editor about it
TheBump:  ah. so the admins were unhappy but couldnt touch it?
ILoveBenAffLecK8:  of course we had to put those letter in the hypaper
ILoveBenAffLecK8:  well..i really dont know
ILoveBenAffLecK8:  i guess they could touch it but they knew better


llie403: we had an issue that involved an article on school fights
allie403: and it was complete sattire
TNPBrian: tell me about it :-)
allie403: but our principal vetoed it
allie403: because he thought it would "insight school fights"

Gaithersburg -- Yes -- "suggestions on small parts of articles that can be changed. he won't let us print it if he doesn't. and if we do, we'll get in serious trouble

Quince Orchard -- No -- "he understands the rights involved with freedom of speech" -- got in some trouble w/sex paper 

Blair -- No -- "he's just a supporter of journalism."
jsagoff@mbhs.edu -- Jared -- managing news editor





Sagoff3: does it say you are an open forum?
Sagoff3: for student expression?
TNPBrian: its close..it says we are a "forum for student expression"
TNPBrian: is that close enough? :-)
Sagoff3: yeah
Sagoff3: does it grant the principal prior review authority
Sagoff3: does it say that anywhere
TNPBrian: no.
Sagoff3: since practice and policy dictate that he shouldn't be able to do it
Sagoff3: did you consent in writing?
TNPBrian: what policy?
TNPBrian: no
Sagoff3: good
Sagoff3: policy being open forum
Sagoff3: here's what I suggest
TNPBrian: i just told him id give him the artices; it was before school started, and i wanted a good relationship and all...
Sagoff3: contact the student press law center
Sagoff3: ah
Sagoff3: but you didn
Sagoff3: but you didn't say he had jurisdiction over them or anything?
TNPBrian: but i never told him or said yes to "can i cut articles?" lol
TNPBrian: right.
Sagoff3: ok
Sagoff3: well
Sagoff3: contact the splc
Sagoff3: www.splc.org
Sagoff3: and just ask for advice
TNPBrian: k.
Sagoff3: if you need anything else
Sagoff3: come talk to me
Sagoff3: this is interesting
TNPBrian: ok. thanks
Sagoff3: we have a great principal
TNPBrian: im lookin for contacts at other schools
Sagoff3: and i'd hate to think what might happen when he leaves
TNPBrian: i want to survey the whole county
Sagoff3: so just contact the splc
Sagoff3: good idea
Sagoff3: well
Sagoff3: I hope this works out for you
TNPBrian: do you know any other newspaper writers in Moco?
Sagoff3: um
Sagoff3: yes
Sagoff3: the ed in chief of the black and white
Sagoff3: of whitman
Sagoff3: is Caitlin Horn
Sagoff3: I can find her email for you
Sagoff3: but I don't know where it is right now
TNPBrian: that'd be cool, thats a big paper.
Sagoff3: yea
TNPBrian: it was "highly inappropriate" for school.
Sagoff3: well that's no grounds at all
Sagoff3: your case is very strong

Sagoff3: why thongs?
Sagoff3: I mean
Sagoff3: what makes that a great story?
Sagoff3: you were playing with fire there
Sagoff3: at least the message was positive

Sagoff3: Tinker v. Des Moines protects all student free speech except that which:
Sagoff3: "causes a significant disruption to the educational process"
Sagoff3: that's facts
Sagoff3: it's just like we're going with a story
Sagoff3: about a teacher who
Sagoff3: has been put on administrative leave for sexual harrassment/misconduct
Sagoff3: and there are charges against him




In order to legally censor, school officials must be able to show that their censorship is based on a reasonable forecast of material and substantial disruption of school activities or an invasion of the rights of others. This typically requires some evidence that a physical disruption of the school day or school-sponsored activities has occurred is or likely to occur in the near future because of the content in question. Libelous or obscene material could probably be censored as well.

This is a very difficult standard for school officials to meet. Rarely have courts upheld school officials censorship on this basis.



TNPBrian: Hey
Tigrseye22: yo
TNPBrian: This is Brian Stelter, Editor of Damascus High School's student newspaper
Tigrseye22: i see
TNPBrian: Allie at Gaithersburg HS gave me your SN
TNPBrian: But I don't know what school you're at..or your name for that matter. lol
Tigrseye22: hehe that crazy allie
Tigrseye22: Quince orchard
Tigrseye22: i'm Liz Hanlon
TNPBrian: Oh, cool
TNPBrian: QO! perfect. heh
Tigrseye22: hehe damascus
Tigrseye22: hahah
TNPBrian: my paper has been censored
Tigrseye22: damascus
Tigrseye22: hehe sorry
TNPBrian: but i hear u all have a lot of freedom?
Tigrseye22: what did you get censored for?
TNPBrian: a story about thong etiquitte
Tigrseye22: we've i know been censored once and i can actually kinda understand why
TNPBrian: o, what was it for?
Tigrseye22: a couple years back there was a murder that was in the area
Tigrseye22: we were covering the conviction of the murder which wasil ke 3 years ago
TNPBrian: oo.
Tigrseye22: but it turns out that one of the siblings of th eguy convicted was a student at QO
TNPBrian: aaah.
Tigrseye22: so i mean it was good to cover it and all but it was also sort of stepping over the line into like personal family stuff
TNPBrian: yea.
Tigrseye22: considering she was still a student there and all
Tigrseye22: it was pulled from the front page before publication
Tigrseye22: and we printed a front page with a big hole in it
Tigrseye22: but i mean we just did a whole big issue onsex last year
Tigrseye22: so i guess that's freedom
TNPBrian: yea, that was impressive.
Tigrseye22: hehe i actually thought the whole issue was pretty conservate
TNPBrian: really?
TNPBrian: heh
Tigrseye22: but there was one article that just PISSED people off
TNPBrian: which one?
Tigrseye22: especially the kids parents of who wrote it
TNPBrian: masturbation?
Tigrseye22: about masturbation it was called "the matter at hand"
Tigrseye22: haha
TNPBrian: heheheheh.
Tigrseye22: yea best headline EVER
TNPBrian: we were shocked.
Tigrseye22: took us a while to think up that one
TNPBrian: lol
Tigrseye22: we actually doing another suppliement issue this year
Tigrseye22: since the last one went so well
TNPBrian: nice, bout ..?
Tigrseye22: race
TNPBrian: ooh.
TNPBrian: controversial.
Tigrseye22: i get to interview a former skinhead
TNPBrian: heh.
Tigrseye22: hehe but he was  a "good" skin
Tigrseye22: i hoping it willb e controversial
Tigrseye22: but ya never know
Tigrseye22: but anyway
Tigrseye22:  back to this censor stuff
TNPBrian: :-)
Tigrseye22: what did you get censored for again?
TNPBrian: a story saying that girls shouldnt flaunt their thongs
Tigrseye22: i just read an article like that in someone's paper
TNPBrian: really? heh
Tigrseye22: might have been silver chips
TNPBrian: not ours :-(
Tigrseye22: damn blair kids
Tigrseye22: yea it had a picture and everything
Tigrseye22: well not an ACTUAL picture
TNPBrian: jealous? lol
Tigrseye22: it was sketch
TNPBrian: blake? they had a cartoon
Tigrseye22: but the article was liek fashion do's and don't
Tigrseye22: in fact i think i saw it in a couple papers
Tigrseye22: but yea same thign, all talking about thongs
Tigrseye22: hehe damn blair kids think they're better than everyone
Tigrseye22: yea i guess it was blake
Tigrseye22: i think we were jealous cuz they had really good pictures and the printer screwed ours up
TNPBrian: aren't they better? ;-)
Tigrseye22: haha we beat them in something!
Tigrseye22: we got number one in the maryland scholastic something or other
Tigrseye22: they were number 5
Tigrseye22: haahahah
Tigrseye22: FIVE
TNPBrian: ooooo
TNPBrian: heheh
Tigrseye22: heh or maybe it was second
Tigrseye22: who cares
Tigrseye22: hehe
TNPBrian: lol
TNPBrian: yea.
Tigrseye22: but we actually found out when we read an article in their paper
Tigrseye22: :-)
Tigrseye22: we felt dumb
TNPBrian: whoops.
Tigrseye22: hehe
Tigrseye22: well we got our score back a long time ago but didn't know we placed for anything
TNPBrian: ah.
TNPBrian: we've never entered. lol.
Tigrseye22: hehe
Tigrseye22: com'on beat the blair kids!
TNPBrian: haha
TNPBrian: *dream*
Tigrseye22: hehe its so elitist tho how we go through othe rpapers and be like "this suuuuuuuuuucks ours is better" cuz ours isnt' that great
TNPBrian: urs IS great
TNPBrian: mine is....improving.lol
TNPBrian: but i dont have a staff that allows me to be a QO or blair.
TNPBrian: THATS the differnece i think.
Tigrseye22: heh well we just switched advisors, its a little different now
TNPBrian: oo.
Tigrseye22: haha are you kidding? our staff is liek ALSDFjkasd;lfkj
TNPBrian: !? lol
Tigrseye22: i always threaten to break legs when stories don't get into me
TNPBrian: i threaten to not put them in the paper
Tigrseye22: hehe but no one ever pays attention cuz i'm weak
TNPBrian: "if they arent in today, they dont go to the principal, which means they dont get in." thats the only good part of prior review. lol
Tigrseye22: hehe i like to do that with the music department, they piss me off
TNPBrian: heh
TNPBrian: u dont have prior review do u?
Tigrseye22: they got really mad that the art and theatre get too much coverage so they are liek "we need our own special music notes!!" ..if i could stop printing those i would
Tigrseye22: yea, always
Tigrseye22: no no we have prior review i mean
Tigrseye22: hehe read that wrong
TNPBrian: o u do?
TNPBrian: has shea ever cut an article?
Tigrseye22: yea that murder trial one
Tigrseye22: yea i don't think we've ever really been censored
TNPBrian: the sex issue!
Tigrseye22: he totally stood by us on that one
Tigrseye22: that was pretty cool of him
Tigrseye22: we always get in little fights tho
Tigrseye22: like last year there was this one teacher who never would let us distribute in his class
Tigrseye22: so we'd always stockpile them outside his room especiall for him