Feb. 25, 2026 | Hannah Field | Editor-in-Chief
Student Press Freedom Day is a country-wide day of action — themed “Resilience in action” for the ninth annual event this year — honoring student journalists and supporting their needs in the face of adversity, funding access and restrictive barriers that censor and diminish student press.
The event is directly made to support student journalists and advocate for them as limitations only increase. There are very real risks: censorship, budget cuts and limited funding, poor advisors, administrative limitations, restricted access to public information and a lack of legal support. According to the Student Press Law Center, student journalists are left without as many rights and protections as professional journalists.
In Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier, a high school newspaper challenged its 1988 censorship for covering teen pregnancy and the impact of parental divorce on students. The Supreme Court ruled that a school-sponsored newspaper could be censored, and today, student newspapers, especially in high school, face further scrutiny, censorship and advisor intervention. Legal protections are minimal for student publications, and the 1988 ruling is still used today to justify the censorship of students.
College presses are often limited from accessing public information and face stonewalling. In fact, I recently received an email from the University of Oregon’s student paper, inquiring if we were also struggling to obtain public records from our college.
This week, from Feb. 23-27, it’s also Scholastic Journalism Week, more centered on high school publications but encompassing the same values and importance as Student Press Freedom Day.
Everyone is encouraged to celebrate Student Press Freedom Day, and over here at The Western Howl, we certainly are. For us, it’s about honoring our ability to gather, write and publish. Additionally, we’ve been able to add more roles as a student-run newspaper and expand our staff; notably, for the first time ever, we have Spanish translators to grow accessibility and our potential audience, and we’re hosting a Spanish release party on the same date as Student Press Freedom Day.
We’re super lucky to be here and uplift student voices. And, hey, we’re looking for more students to join our staff — check out our roles on Handshake or send an email for more information.
Contact the author at howleditorinchief@wou.edu
