Watch the Press
Schools must monitor school newspaper for the safety of all
Monitoring Saves
Monitoring school newspapers is not a new discussion. many people have thought about whether or not this is a good idea. Well, it is. this system can save lots of drama and problems.
There are so many benefits to monitoring. First, it prevents any embarrassing and inappropriate from getting out. One time, a small town in Connecticut got their first Hooters. A high school paper decided to do an article on it. They used inappropriate language that was rude and embarrassing to describe the waitresses that worked there. Some of those waiters were from the high school. The principal asked them to take it out, but they refused, and took the case to court. The ruling was that they could publish it. But after publishing the article though, the waitresses were probably insulted and bullied. 33% of schools think that there is too much freedom, and want to be monitored. Freedom of speech, that is the misunderstood right. It doesn’t mean you can say what you want. There are limits, which almost no one complains about. Why should it be different at school than in public? Well, let me tell you about the Hazelwood decision.
The Hazelwood Decition
Students at Hazelwood high school decided for their final paper to do 2 headline stories. One was about pregnant teens in the school, the other about a girl blaming her father for her parents divorce. These subjects were critically exposing students to bullying. The principal took the articles out of the papers, but the students revolted and took the case to court. The school wasted time and money to try to save the students from embarrassment. However, they published it anyway, and the girls were embarrassed from there on out. All that could have been saved by monitoring.
Hazelwood High School
What Its like
End result
So, what about expressing your feelings and wanting to say what you want. Well, I believe in that, as long as it doesn’t affect others in a bad way. You can publish anything you want, but if it harms others, you are using your rights incorrectly. You should never hurt someone for your own benefit.
So, monitoring is and should be encouraged in all schools. Thi provides safety and secureness as far as press goes. This is also a way to have a balance to what goes in and what doen’t, causing less stress and pain.So just remember, monitor or out the door.
Interview with Jack Arends
A: I think it should be monitored because they could put weird or mean things in it.
Q: Do you think it should be a law that schools can monitor newspapers?
A: Schools should be able to monitor, but a law would be crazy and anger students
Q: Do you think it is ok for students to publish articles that could end in embarrassment or bullying if it means they get to have free expression?
A: NOO!! Any article in a newspaper that ends in embarrassment shouldn't be published. If we don't monitor them, the students could be inserting gossip into the text, and no one would know.