Hear, Hear

First Published: Summer 2007

Plug in your digital music player and download the new series of podcasts from the Student Press Law Center!

Thanks to a grant from the NAA Foundation, the SPLC has made the leap into podcasting. Now young journalists, teachers and scholastic media advocates can get their student press law news on the go.

The podcasts debuted in February and are published monthly during the school year, with a total of nine installments planned. They provide legal insight into censorship issues, legislative progress and court cases that affect the student press. The podcast roster to date includes:

February 2007 (5:22)

Topic: State student free press legislation. A Washington state lawmaker introduces the first combined high school/college free press bill in the country; censorship of a controversial flag photo at St. Francis High School (Minn.); the Danbury High School (Texas) censorship controversy over a teen sex article.

March 2007 (8:20)

Topics: U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments in “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” case (Frederick v. Morse); amicus efforts in Frederick v. Morse; student free press state legislation updates (Washington, Oregon, Illinois, Michigan).

April 2007 (8:00)

Topics: Free press rights and responsibility. The Greencastle Middle School (Ind.) case involving a student criminally charged for content on MySpace.com; the Hermitage High School (Pa.) principal files a libel suit against students for MySpace.com postings; the California Supreme Court denies a teacher’s appeal in a Palisades High School case involving lewd comments in an underground student newspaper; student free press state legislation updates (Washington, Oregon, Illinois, Michigan).

May 2007 (8:20)

Topics: “Hate speech” and the First Amendment. An appellate court ruling in the Novato High School (Calif.) case involving censorship of an opinion column about illegal immigrants; a ruling in the Neuqua Valley High School (Ill.) “Be Happy, Not Gay” T-shirt case; the Poway High School (Calif.) “Homosexuality is shameful” T-shirt case.

Podcast files can be downloaded directly from the SPLC Web site to listen to on a computer or MP3 player. Free subscriptions to the SPLC podcasts also are available via iTunes. Simply open iTunes, click on “iTunes Store” and search for “Student Press Law Center.” You will then be given the option to subscribe to the podcast.

Once you click “Subscribe,” iTunes automatically checks for and downloads new installments each time you open iTunes. Downloaded episodes are then ready for transfer to your iPod. You can unsubscribe at any time.