Law, Ethics, & News Literacy

By attending a Catholic school I forfeit the right to have freedom of the press and am heavily censored. Before every issue is sent to the printer an administrator looks over it and makes us omit anything that does not align with the school’s views. 

Last year a story was posted to the website about boycotting brands due to their funding of the Israel-Palestine war. It was taken down by the administration. Growing in my skills of staff advocacy I met with the administration to inquire exactly what we could publish. The answer was nothing remotely controversial or political. Being a hit to my plans to cover student voting in the 2024 election I scheduled a meeting with the Dean of Students to discuss what I could say. We came to an agreement that I could talk about it without mentioning policy or student opinion. This was honestly a big win as I did not think I could even write the story, let alone include the names and pictures of the candidates. 

I further advocated for myself when the principal took away our ability to interview students during class time. This would have been a major hit to everyone on staff, but with the help of the yearbook team, we got our rights back. 

Though it is sometimes difficult to not have complete freedom of the press, it has built my skills in self-advocacy and led to my building strong relationships with the administration by remaining honest and respectful.