Journalism students returning to North Dakota public schools this fall will be able to do their jobs at high school and college newspapers with stronger free-speech protections, thanks to a new state law that observers hope will also spur changes nationwide.
The measure guarantees student journalists the right to exercise free speech in school-sponsored media, regardless of whether the school supports the media financially or students participate as part of a class.
The law puts North Dakota among a few states that have enacted legislation meant to counteract a 1980s U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said limits can be set on the free-press rights of high school students.
