School Newspapers:
Can the Administration Determine Content?

Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier, 484 U.S. 260 (1988)
The First Amendment rights of student journalists are not violated when school officials prevent the publication of certain articles in the school newspaper.

Background

What is the difference between editing and censorship? Do the considerations and restrictions change when the publication is written by students for a student population? Does it matter that the people who were the subjects of the stories were not named in the articles? How would you have voted if you were an Associate Justice deciding this case? Why? Can you give other examples of school authorities limiting the free speech of students? How would this decision apply to those situations? Would the ruling in this case have been different if the school newspaper were written by members of an extracurricular club and financed by student body funds?