New Voices Texas released the following statement today. Contact Dominic Plata, NVT Communications Officer, at newvoices4texas@gmail.com if you have questions or media inquiries.

Yearbooks are not just for happy stories

TEXAS – New Voices Texas, a student-led press rights advocacy organization, is deeply concerned with actions taken by administration at Bellaire High School in Houston ISD after complaints arose about yearbook coverage of how a student at the school reacted to the Israel-Hamas War.

Unfortunately, the New York Post — and other outside media outlets — used quotes out of context from a yearbook story titled “Times of Palestine” to make it appear that an Arab student at the school was dismissive of the tragic death and violence that has occurred in the war. It has been a disappointing example of media outlets producing sensationalized coverage.

In response to the controversy, Bellaire Principal Michael Niggli sent an email to parents and students there in which he wrote “We will be enforcing new editorial protocols for all student publications in the coming weeks as we prepare for 2024-25.”

New Voices Texas is concerned that these “new editorial protocols” could very likely infringe on the press rights of student journalists at Bellaire if school administrators plan to exercise regular prior review and/or prior restraint going forward. Although we understand that it can be difficult to withstand pressure from upset parents and community members, we believe it is important for school administrators to support student journalists as they take ownership of their work and be allowed to take part in responding to criticism when controversies arise. 

At New Voices Texas, we believe that there is a better way to address controversies other than school administrators taking over control of what are supposed to be student-led publications. Instead, we believe Texas should join the 18 other states who have passed “New Voices” laws that clarify the roles of students, teachers and administrators in the student publication process. 

With a New Voices law, administrators like Niggli would not be the one answering for the criticism of student decisions. A New Voices law would make clear that students are responsible for content decisions in student publications, providing students with the full opportunity to learn from the student publications experience and protecting school administrators from the headaches of becoming the de facto chief editors of their schools’ student publications. 

This is not the first case  — and it won’t be the last — in which a student publication stirs up controversy. We implore school administrators to proactively support New Voices legislation to safeguard the integrity of student publications instead of taking knee-jerk actions that lead to censoring and the banning coverage of important topics in school newspapers and yearbooks. 

New Voices Texas is also concerned about the school administration’s decision to provide a “revised” yearbook that does not feature the page that was deemed controversial by some. The yearbook staff was not involved in this decision, leaving out the voices of student journalists and the student who was featured in the original story. 

Finally, we also want to dispel the mistaken idea that yearbooks are only for “happy stories,” which has sadly become commonplace. Yearbooks are meant to serve as the record of the important events that occur at a school over the course of a year. This includes the full range of events, including the accomplishments and challenges faced by students and the world at large. The bottom line is that yearbooks ARE journalism, just as much as school newspapers and other student media outlets. 

Student journalists learn by doing and along the way they learn to meet professional standards that can put them in position to win awards that can bring positive attention to their school. Organizations that provide critiques to student publications like the National Scholastic Press Association and the Interscholastic League Press Conference, expect to see student journalists follow the tenets and values of high quality journalism when deciding which schools will be awarded top prizes. At schools where students are banned from covering controversial topics, students will be precluded from winning such honors and recognition.

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About New Voices Texas

New Voices Texas serves as a statewide coalition of student journalists and supporters committed to securing press freedom with the aid of a state law aimed at clarifying the role of students, publication advisers and administrators in the student publication process. By championing the cause of press freedom in educational institutions, New Voices Texas empowers student journalists and reinforces the Constitutional right of free speech. We hope to rally support from students, teachers, administrators and the public at large to demand that lawmakers support such a vitally important law to rectify the harm caused to student journalists by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Hazelwood School District et al. v. Kuhlmeier decision in 1988.

Contact New Voices Texas

To learn more about New Voices Texas, visit our website at newvoicestx.com. To learn more about the New Voices movement in the United States, visit the Student Press Law Center’s webpage at splc.org/new-voices/. 

Follow us on Instagram at instagram.com/newvoicestx/ and on Facebook at facebook.com/newvoicestexas

Email us at newvoices4texas@gmail.com.