Center for Scholastic Journalism's information about what it takes for student media to be a forum for student expression and project to map compilation of such schools.

1. How to put
your school
on the map
Center for Scholastic Journalism
Kent State University
Kent, Ohio

2. We track public forum status
 TheCenter for Scholastic Journalism
began a project in 2008 to track
publications that have achieved the
status as open forums for student
expression.

3. Purpose of the map
 Themap is an excellent way to
demonstrate “strength in numbers” to
show that schools across the country do
indeed allow students to make content
decisions in their student media.
 The
map also raises awareness of the
importance of student-led publications.

4. Forums schools are indicated
by colored pins on the map

5. Colors signify an open forum
 Green pins represent open forums that
exist because building or district policies
exist that designate students as the final
authority over a publication or media
outlet’s content.
 Bluepins represent open forums that exist
by the practice of school administrators
allowing students to make content
decisions, even if school policies don’t
address the issue or contradict student
authority to regulate content.

6. Colors signify a forum
 Magenta pins are those schools for which
we’re working to confirm their status as
open forums. Ultimately, the pins will either
be changed to green or blue or will be
taken down because they are not open
forums.

7. Each pin contains information
This includes the name of
the school, the adviser, the
length of time the
publication has been a
open forum, as well as links
to any school or editorial
policies that designate the
publication as an open
forum.

8. Do you think you’re a forum?
 Open forums can exist either by an official
school policy OR by the practice of
school officials allowing students to make
content decisions in their student media.
 Knowing which designation fits your
school is crucial.

9. Examine these definitions
 Mark Goodman, former executive
director of the Student Press Law Center
and current Knight Chair for Scholastic
Journalism at Kent State, and John
Bowen, chair of the Journalism Education
Association’s Scholastic Press Rights
Commission, created and updated these
definitions based on applicable court
decisions and standards espoused by
journalism education and legal advocacy
groups.

10. Open forums by POLICY
 An official school policy exists that designates
student editors, within clearly defined limitations
(libel, obscenity, etc.), as the ultimate authority for
determining content.
 A publication’s own editorial policy does not
count as an official school policy unless some
higher school official has formally endorsed it.
 School officials actually practice this policy by
exercising a “hands-off” role and empowering
student editors to lead. Advisers teach and offer
students advice, but they neither control nor make
decisions regarding content. No one but the
adviser reviews content prior to publication.

11. Forums by PRACTICE
 A school policy may or may not exist regarding
student media, but administrators have a “hands-
off” approach and have empowered students to
control content decisions.
 For some period of time, there has been no act of
censorship by school officials and there is no required
prior approval of content by a school administrator.
 Advisers teach and offer students advice, but they
neither control nor make decisions regarding
content. No one other than the adviser reviews
content prior to publication.
 A publication’s editorial policy can serve to
demonstrate that a publication operates as a public
forum.

12. It comes down to who
controls the content
 For
an open forum to exist, STUDENTS must
be responsible for content control.
 Adviserscan teach and coach students
to help them make sound decisions, but
they don’t make decisions.
 Others
outside of the staff (school
administrators, department heads, other
teachers) do not prior review, “approve”
or change content before it’s published.

13. The process to get your school
onto the public forum map
 Fill
out (to the best of your ability) all of the
information on the form “Are your school’s
media public forums?”
 Attach copies of applicable school
and/or staff editorial policies.

14. Fill out the form & submit it
 Theform is a writable PDF document. You
can either fill it out electronically and
submit it to kentstatecsj@gmail.com or
you can print it, fill it out and mail it back:
Center for Scholastic Journalism
Kent State University
School of JMC
201 Franklin Hall
Kent, OH 44242

15. Include copies of policies
 No matter how you choose to submit the
form, be sure to include copies of
applicable school and staff editorial
policies that demonstrate status of open
public forums either by policy or practice.
 These can be submitted as hard copies,
electronic copies or links (whichever is
most convenient).

16. Take note…
 Differentstudent media in your school
could be governed by different policies
and practices. Be sure to include
applicable policies for each student
publication/media outlet in your school if
the policies and/or practices differ for
each.

17. New pins will appear regularly
 The map will be updated regularly as more
information arrives and is verified.
 Someone from the Center might contact you
with some follow-up questions before a pin is
placed on the map.
 Faculty/staff at the Center will make the final
determination whether a school qualifies as a
open public forum based on the information it
provides.

18. Spread the word!
 Thisproject relies on good promotion to
make it successful. The goal is to get as
many pins as possible on the map to show
that schools across the country do indeed
protect students’ rights to free expression
and press.
Trevor Ivan
Graduate assistant
Center for Scholastic Journalism
Kent State University
http://www.slideshare.net/candaceperkinsbowen/