Law & Ethics
Scholastic Journalism Week Speech - New Voices
My name is Marin Fehl and I am the Editor-in-Chief of the Red & Black at Hillsborough High School. I will be talking to you about obstacles that face scholastic journalism, and how we can overcome them.
Student journalism is placed under the scrutiny of prior review. Reporting done by student journalists can be censored, or barred from publishing if it is deemed too controversial or inappropriate for a school publication. This is a standard set in place by the landmark case Hazelwood v. Kulhmeier, and it needs to change.
At my school I am fortunate enough to have an administration that does not censor what we report. Many of my colleagues at other programs are subjected to this scrutiny. They can be prevented from publishing what they think needs to be published on these grounds. On my campus, students are not censored, but there are many on other campuses that are.
Today’s theme for scholastic journalism week is real news. Sometimes, covering real news means holding people accountable even if they may not want to be.
There is a movement called New Voices, which seeks to protect student journalists from administrative censorship. 14 states have successfully implemented this legislation. Florida, unfortunately, is not one of them. We have already made the case that scholastic journalism is essential, but without the extension of first amendment rights to student journalists, it is not protected. As the eighth largest school district in the state of Florida, we implore you to be the leaders of this movement. We ask that you be the first district school in the state of Florida that demands that student journalists are always allowed to do their jobs: to tell the truth.
I, on behalf of scholastic journalism, would like to formally request that you consider implementing a New Voices program in this school district. We hope that in addition to fostering an appreciation for scholastic journalism, we have also brought to your attention the necessity of protecting student journalists. We look forward to further discussions about this program.
During scholastic journalism week, I appeared in front of the Hillsborough County School Board along with two other student journalists. We each gave a short speech that discussed the importance of scholastic journalism. I directly implored the School Board to consider implementing New Voices protections for student journalists. This resulted in further talks with members of the school district regarding this issue.
Anonymous sources - Immigration profile
Her new classroom was unknown territory. Books she couldn’t read. Teachers she didn’t know. Students with everything but friendly faces. When she was 4 years old, she found herself in an alien landscape. So, she made it her own.
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She left Cuba in March of 2006. Her parents left behind careers. Her older siblings left their schools. But she had no memory of her life there. Her family settled in Kentucky so her parents could pursue careers and she could attend school with her siblings.
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Until second grade, she was placed in an English as a Second Language (ESOL) class. Her initial inability to speak and understand English made it difficult for her to adjust to her new surroundings and assimilate to the school’s culture.
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Growing up
“Honestly the bad part of growing up were the stupid jokes and comments people would make. I didn’t fit in until I moved to Florida a few years ago, it was honestly so much better because so many people were like me,” she said. “They had immigrated too, and I mean you can’t really make jokes and comments about me without making them about others.”
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But as she watched her siblings battle the same things at school, she felt more at ease with her circumstances. “It was difficult at first but my brother and sister both went through and finished school, so we’ve all learned as we go,” she said.
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Her move to Florida allowed her to find a community at school, and she began to feel grounded for the first time since her departure from Cuba. Her parents always provided her with a sense of security despite the rocky start to her time in the U.S.
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Her mother, who had found a job as a cleaner, and her father, who had found work in maintenance, set an example of the person she wanted to become.
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“My biggest inspiration has always been my parents because they work so hard for all they give me and my siblings. My parents both had careers in Cuba, and they dropped them, fully aware that they wouldn’t be able to go back to them that easily for the sole purpose of giving us a better life,” she said. “They work so hard no matter what they do.”
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Finding her motivation
Her parents are her motivation to this day. Although unsure of her specific career path, she knows that she wants to become the person her parents worked so hard for her to be. “That’s why I work as hard as I can to get good grades and to get a career, I know I can’t repay them in any monetary means, but if I can at least accomplish the things they hoped for me, it’ll literally be the best thing ever,” she said.
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“[My parents] never gave me any restrictions in terms of careers, they always just said that they want me to be happy with what I do and to make the most of the opportunities I’m given, so that’s my plan. Find what I love and make the most of every opportunity.”
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Her admiration for her parents is constant. To her, they represent what having the courage and dedication in a foreign place can do to benefit a family. Because of this, she’s frustrated with the frequent use of stereotypes in the national discussion surrounding immigration. They were never her reality.
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In response to the recent comments on immigration and immigrants, focused on those coming from south of the border, she is indignant. The national political discussion of the issue is not representative of her experience, or the experiences of others in her family. “I understand wanting people to do things legally, but I just wish they’d provide alternatives if they’re going to criticize hard working people that are literally just trying to better their lives and the lives of their families,” she said.
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“The process to come to the United States, as well as the one to become a citizen, is long and tiring, not to mention expensive. It’s really frustrating to hear people chastised while I know that things aren’t that simple.”
To her, the issue isn’t black and white, and she doesn’t think it’s possible for it to ever be. “Yes, there are bad people that come from other places, but there are bad people born here too,” she said. “It’s not fair to judge everyone based on a few.”
When we discussed covering the immigration crisis, we knew that we would have to be careful with our coverage. I interviewed a student about her and her family's experience as immigrants in this country. After interviewing her and observing her and her family, I told her about the implications of publishing. I said that although I was journalist, I was also a human and for that reason, wanted her to be sure that she was okay with publishing her story. In the end, we decided that to maintain the safety of her and her family, her identity would be anonymous.
Grappling with copyright - Women's World Cup
We realized that a staffer used a photo of the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team a couple of hours before we needed to send the paper to print. We had no other visuals and a blank box on a page that previously had a photo. I decided that instead we'd publish an infographic instead.