Analysis of High School Newspaper Editorials: Before and After 'Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier.'

In "Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier" (1988), the U.S. Supreme Court said public school officials can censor school-sponsored expression for legitimate educational purposes. The decision raises concerns that high school newspapers no longer will publish controversial information or criticism of school policy. This study, a content analysis case study of student-written newspaper editorials at a Midwestern public high school before and after the decision, found that more than three times as many editorials of criticism were published prior to the High Court's decision. The paper argues that since the 1988 Supreme Court decision the student journalists at this public high school are less likely to criticize school policy or discuss controversial issues in their editorials. Contains 19 references and 3 tables of data. (Author/RS)