Posted on Dec 12, 2022
Censored by a Missouri high school in 1983, Cathy Kuhlmeier still fights for student free speech...
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Cathy Kuhlmeier fought censorship at her Hazelwood high school in 1983 and lost. Decades later, it’s a battle she’s still fighting.
Nearly 35 years have passed since the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling, on Jan. 13, 1988, that Hazelwood East High School had the right to censor its student newspaper. The landmark decision set a precedent that’s allowed administrators at other high schools and colleges to restrict students’ free speech. Decades later, the decision still rankles Cathy Kuhlmeier.
In 1983, Kuhlmeier was an editor at the Hazelwood East newspaper, The Spectrum. At the time, she told St. Louis on the Air, the editors “wanted to do more in-depth stories than what the typical, fluffy type stories that ran” covering the school’s football team or prom season.
Nearly 35 years have passed since the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling, on Jan. 13, 1988, that Hazelwood East High School had the right to censor its student newspaper. The landmark decision set a precedent that’s allowed administrators at other high schools and colleges to restrict students’ free speech. Decades later, the decision still rankles Cathy Kuhlmeier.
In 1983, Kuhlmeier was an editor at the Hazelwood East newspaper, The Spectrum. At the time, she told St. Louis on the Air, the editors “wanted to do more in-depth stories than what the typical, fluffy type stories that ran” covering the school’s football team or prom season.
Censored by a Missouri high school in 1983, Cathy Kuhlmeier still fights for student free speech...
Posted from kcur.org
Freedom of Speech
Supreme Court
Hazelwood
Schools
American History
Posted >1 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."The ruling created broad censorship powers that rely on school administrators’ subjective determinations of what constitutes objectionable content. The ruling didn’t just affect middle and high school students but colleges as well.
In 1988, when the ruling was announced, Kuhlmeier was a senior in college. Although she opposes the decisions and believes it continues to silence student speech, she said the experience “has helped to shape who I am, because it has taught me a lot of life lessons that to, you know, be thorough in what you're doing. Don't be afraid to stand up and talk about things that are important to you.”
Kuhlmeier now speaks at journalism conferences and to students about the impact of censorship. She worries that the legacy of the court case bearing her name is changing society for the worse and making students less confident, informed and capable of investigating and calling out injustice.
“If we cannot work with kids in high school to help them to critically think and not be afraid of self-censorship, we're gonna end up losing journalists across the country,” she said. “We need to continue to build up and support our youth.”
..."The ruling created broad censorship powers that rely on school administrators’ subjective determinations of what constitutes objectionable content. The ruling didn’t just affect middle and high school students but colleges as well.
In 1988, when the ruling was announced, Kuhlmeier was a senior in college. Although she opposes the decisions and believes it continues to silence student speech, she said the experience “has helped to shape who I am, because it has taught me a lot of life lessons that to, you know, be thorough in what you're doing. Don't be afraid to stand up and talk about things that are important to you.”
Kuhlmeier now speaks at journalism conferences and to students about the impact of censorship. She worries that the legacy of the court case bearing her name is changing society for the worse and making students less confident, informed and capable of investigating and calling out injustice.
“If we cannot work with kids in high school to help them to critically think and not be afraid of self-censorship, we're gonna end up losing journalists across the country,” she said. “We need to continue to build up and support our youth.”
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