Modified student press bill waiting in Senate

A modified version of a bill that would protect Oregon student journalists’ right to free speech moved one step closer to being law when it passed through the House Judiciary Committee on April 30.

House Bill 3279 combines freedom of speech protection for high school and college journalists. State representatives and the Oregon School Board Association removed two sections of the bill, a decision that some disagree with.

School official and school district protection from lawsuits because of student publication content was removed from the bill. A requirement forcing the publication to pay for attorney fees because of a libel court case was also removed.

Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, a member of the Judiciary Committee who spoke at the final work session on the bill, said that taking out the attorney provision would keep people without legitimate claims from coming forward with lawsuits.

“This is a school-based activity,” Bonamici said. “The schools don’t have immunity if something goes wrong.”

As a result of months of debate and several amendments, the bill would provide more First Amendment freedom of speech protection in Oregon and guarantee a free press for high school and college students.

The bill passed through the House Judiciary Committee last week with support from both legislatures and the Oregon School Board Association.

A similar bill was introduced in the Washington state Legislature last month, but never made it to the state Senate. Rep. Larry Galizio, who introduced the HB 3279 in Oregon, said he is cautiously optimistic about the bill passing.

The bill went through several revisions after suggestions from college newspaper editors, school administrators and high school students who testified on the merits and problems of the bill.

The revision that protects high school students was removed from the Washington state student press freedom bill.

Although many who are against the bill have concerns regarding the high school section, it is unlikely it would be cut from the Oregon bill, Galizio said.

Protections provided by the bill are more important for high school students, Galizio said, because their schools pay for the press and can censor content, which the collegiate press is protected against.

“The idea is that ostensibly we’re teaching student journalists,” Galizio said. “You’re teaching freedom of speech to students, but not letting them do it. Let’s do what were are supposedly teaching.”

Free speech issues in high school are something Dylan Leeman, adviser for the Grant High School student publications, has dealt with first hand.

Earlier this year the Grant High School student newspaper, the Grantonian, ran a story on a group of previous Grant students who were arrested for a string of burglaries.

The students pursued lawsuits about the content as a result of the story. Leeman said it would be nice to have protection from events like that.

Leeman, a self-described “first amendment radical,” said the editorial process at the Grantonian prevents content that is dangerous or libelous from being printed.

Stories that might be considered problematic must be submitted to principal Toni Hunter in advance, but she is generally OK with the content, he said.

The fight for freedom of speech is important to the student journalists of Grant, and they are following the movement of the bill closely, said Leeman.

“During the 60s this battle was in the college realm, and now it’s in the high school realm,” Leeman said.

The bill must now be voted on by the House general assembly.