Freedom Of Expression

4 Pages 919 Words

Internet filters, v-chips, “abstinence-only” education, and indecency laws are just a few of the tactics our society has employed in recent years to protect the “innocent” minds of youth. These censorial measures not only prevent young people from learning, thinking, and exploring; they deprive them of critical information on subjects ranging from human rights and feminism to drugs and safer sex.

In early May, The Free Expression Policy Project – along with the Vera List Center for Art and Politics at New School University – brought together 33 advocates from the fields of free expression, sexuality education, youth journalism, and media literacy, along with 10 outstanding teen writers and activists, for a colloquium to develop strategies for combating censorship aimed at minors. Our foremost goal was to brainstorm strategies that would empower young people by teaching them critical thinking skills, advancing their free-expression rights, and enabling them to participate effectively in the political process. By the end of the day, we’d done just that – and birthed a new movement along the way.

Our colloquium commenced with an overview of the many forms of youth censorship, including Internet filters, restrictions on the student press, and abstinence- only sexuality education. As Mark Goodman of the Student Press Law Center noted, censorship of the student press has increased dramatically -- his organization saw a 41 percent leap in the number of reported censorship incidents between 1999 and 2000, usually for articles about sexuality or school shootings, or critiques of school policies. Even tenured newspaper advisors are coming under the fire of increasingly conservative administrators, and those who stand up for their students are beleaguered and occasionally dismissed. Some schools have cracked down on independent media as well, including zines and students’ personal websites.

Susan Wilson of the Network...