Subtle Censorship: The Problem of Retaliation Against High School Journalism Advisers and Three Ways to Stop It

Tyler J. Buller, University of Iowa

Abstract

This Article explores whether the problem of retaliation against high school journalism advisers is best addressed through courts, local school boards or state legislatures. Student journalists across the United States are threatened by a new, more-subtle form of censorship. Instead of principals cutting articles out of student newspapers or threatening expulsion for controversial editorials, student journalists’ most-trusted confidant and ally—their journalism adviser—is under fire, facing retaliation by school officials through discipline, reassignment, and even termination. This retaliation exploits a loophole in student journalists’ protections, resulting in indirect censorship and the chilling of student speech. After comparing the alternatives, this Article advocates that the best path to ending retaliation against journalism advisers is through state legislatures adopting statutes that prohibit adviser-retaliation, grant students a cause of action, and require local school districts to adopt consistent policies protecting student publications