Sen. Davis introduces bill to protect student journalists

Sen. Al Davis, R-District 43, introduced a bill relating to college journalists and the freedom of speech and the press.

Davis is the senator for Dawes, Sheridan, Cherry, Keya Paha, Brown, Grant, Hooker, Thomas, Blaine, Loup, McPherson, Loup, and part of Box Butte counties.

The bill will prevent censorship for student journalist in postsecondary educational institutions. The bill outlines postsecondary institutions as “the University of Nebraska, a state college, or a community college.”

This bill will protect any material that is published or broadcasted by student journalists, distributed to the student body, and is created under the direction of a media adviser. Any work created simply for distribution in a classroom is not included.

The bill outlines a student journalist to mean “a student at a postsecondary educational institution who gathers, compiles, writes, edits, photographs, records, or prepares information” to be delivered via a school media.

A media adviser is defined as “an individual employed, appointed, or designated by a postsecondary educational institution to supervise or provide instruction relating to school-sponsored media.”

This bill will give student journalists the freedom of speech and press in school-sponsored media, whether funded by the school or by the use of school facilities or if produced as part of a class. Student journalists will be responsible for the content of all aspects of the publication.

The bill will not make it acceptable for student journalists to publish anything libelous or slanderous, anything that is an “unwarranted invasion of privacy, violated federal or state law,” or presents danger instructing “of an unlawful act, the violation of the policies of a postsecondary educational institution, or the material and substance disruption of the orderly operation of such institution.”

“They are tried as adults in courts, but we treat college students as children,” Davis said. “They are not children though.

“Free press is necessary for a democratic society to thrive.”

The bill was introduced on Jan. 11 for the first reading. The State Senate has until April 20 to make a decision on the bill because this is a short session for the Senate.

When a bill is introduced, it is sent to a committee for public hearings. This bill was sent to the appropriations committee. After the committee passes the bill, the bill will then move to the general file or the general floor.

If the committee fails the bill, it can be killed at committee without going to the general file.

At the general floor, there will be a vote after hearings and discussions, and if passed, it will move to the select file. After the select file, it goes to final reading. After passing through the final reading, the bill will move to the governor for signing.

The governor can either pass or veto the bill. If the governor signs the bill, it will come into affect three months after the signing.