Fear of backlash encourages censorship

witches or Wiccan practices.

The student editor at the time, ready to go to publication, removed each “offense” then replaced it with some kind of cartoon question mark and inserted a statement noting that the drug pictures had been removed by order of the administration.

After that, when the kids were censored, the administration instructed them not to place such a statement. They wanted to censor without being called out on it.

The next time involved a streaker. We had a photo, from the back, of a streaker who ran through the homecoming halftime show. The photo (before digital photography) showed the streaker to take up less space than a fingernail on the print. Nope. Can’t publish that.

So the kids sent the photo and the story to the Anchorage Daily News who published it in their section designed and written by young reporters. Back page section A. This, of course, brought the broadcast media to the school, where accompanied by a very uncomfortable assistant principal, they interviewed kids and took a shot of the streaker photo to air on the evening news.

One day I walked into the office and two of my colleagues had just removed all of the newspapers destined for students, out of homeroom teacher boxes. They were upset over an editorial criticizing cheer leading as a sport. The district superintendent stepped in and ordered the papers to be returned to the boxes. One of the teachers left me a note admonishing me for allowing such “vomit” to be written.

In most cases the school administration was frustrated with me – believing I should censor the kids for them. I stood my ground, informed the leadership where to find the district policies protecting student publications and assisted my students as they journeyed through the process.

The only battle we truly lost was in the early 2000s when we tried to develop an online presence for the paper. Eventually, the topic of our intentions showed up at a secondary principal’s meeting where they “voted” to not allow online student newspapers. Too much risk. So much for encouraging innovation. Now, nearly all student newspapers have an online presence.

Other students started to reach out to me when they felt threatened by censorship and free speech threats. One girl had been taken to the disciplinary office for pinning a condom (in the unopened package) to her shirt in an attempt to see birth control distributed in the nurse’s office. When the principal stepped out, she grabbed the desk phone and called my classroom. We quickly scanned her rights and decided that she had a right to wear a badge. She was suspended, but the local media somehow heard her story and she was in the paper as a young woman taking a stand.

First Amendment rights don’t have an age requirement. Yet it is not uncommon for kids to believe they “can’t” do something because they have been penalized for questioning authority.

For over 20 years, I was privileged to listen and observe as my students discussed stories, made sure their reporting was accurate and had the best interest of the readership in their plans. No principal ever observed those amazing moments of mature thought process.

One of the most memorable was the discussion of their job as the student newspaper to place facts in front of their readership. That the student newspaper, handed out to each student, was the one place all students could get their news. It was a place to dispel rumors – especially when an assistant principal at the school was charged with running a gambling entity with multiple school computers on the premises.

The kids interviewed the police, the troopers, the attorneys and, when it was necessary, practiced the skill of offering a right to respond.

It took three weeks to get the paper approved by the admin. The kids took their story to an appeals board, the editor made her case, and the appeals board approved the story. Yet a mad dash in the last ten minutes before press time had the unit principal driving to the school while the administrator from HR called to ask again that I stop the story.

The printer, supportive of the kids, was holding the press for us. It had already been in the local news. Why was this such an issue? Their reason, of course, was risk management. How would it impact the district if the defendant pleaded that the school was publishing information. How would the district be liable?

I told him I understood, but if this didn’t run in the school newspaper, the kids had already spoken to the local publisher and would provide the story as well as their challenges for publication.

The paper went to press, no one was sued and the student body of around 2,000 students saw a factual accounting of something that happened in their school. Rumors stopped and the kids won another first place award for reporting.

Multiple attempts were made to slow us down over the years. Our computers were removed, so I started to collect surplus equipment. The curriculum principal moved the class to the first period (after 20 years scheduled during the last period of the day) making it difficult for reporters to make calls – it was 7:30 a.m. – or extend their time after school. And finally, the class was canceled by the same curriculum principal who didn’t like our story about the gambling principal. However, having been very involved in contract negotiations, I was able to point out that the contract required I be notified the spring before an extra-curricular position was ended – so pay me to run a lunchtime newspaper or just pay me.

Eventually, the paper came back the following semester after some frank discussion and with the assistance of the union and the local press. At a certain point, after the district sought a legal opinion from their lawyers, the censorship slowed a bit. Accurate news comes from good journalism. Facts come from good reporting. Good reporters are cultivated when young journalists are provided real experiences and encouragement. Who are we protecting when we try to shade the eyes of those who seek information, such as young reporters and their readership? We aren’t protecting them.

Naloxone overdose kits (name brand NARCAN) have been placed around town to assist in an opioid emergency. They can be found at the following locations:

● AMHS Ferry Terminal

● Eagles F.O.E. Aerie #25

● Elks Lodge #431

● Grizzly’s General

● Skagway Recreation Center

● The Station

● U.S. Post Office

● Wells Fargo Bank