OSU High School Journalism Day

08/29/2023

We have set Sept. 28 for our High School Journalism Day. Details to come, but plan on three sessions and a tour of The O'Colly newsroom to visit with student editors, writers and photographers.
We would like to know who is interested in attending in advance, so we can begin to build a head count for refreshments, etc.
Send intentions, or questions, to John Helsley at [email protected].

10/08/2021

FOI Oklahoma First Amendment Essay Contest and Conference

The virtual conference on Nov. 2 is free, but please register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2021-first-amendment-congress-tickets-170249949181?aff=Email

The First Amendment affects the daily life of students, and this year we have a slate of topics and guests that are interesting, timely, and relevant. Here’s the agenda:

9:00am | First Amendment and You: What every student needs to know.

Speaker: Dr. Joey Senat, Oklahoma State University
10:00am | From what you share to what you wear: The limits of free speech on & off campus.

Speakers:

David Hutson, The Free Speech Center

Tony Childers, Oklahoma State School Board Association

Others TBA
11:00am | This panel is a riot: How states are legislating around free speech.

Speakers:

Melvin Hall, attorney representing Oklahoma State NAACP

Abby Henderson, Partner at Movement Catalyst

Elly Page, International Center for Nonprofit Law

REGISTER NOW
Registration is free and open to the public. The event will be live-streamed on FOI Oklahoma’s YouTube channel.

ZACH TAYLOR FIRST AMENDMENT ESSAY CONTEST

Oklahoma students in grades 9-12 are invited to submit a 500-word essay about the First Amendment as part of our annual contest. Winners will be announced during the First Amendment Congress and will receive iTunes gift cards of $100 to $300. Full details and instructions can be found here.

ABOUT THE FIRST AMENDMENT CONGRESS

Each fall hundreds of high school students and teachers from across Oklahoma come together for a one-day conference focused on the First Amendment and how it relates to their lives. More than 3,000 Oklahoma high school students have attended the First Amendment Congress since the annual program began in 1999. Presentation of the annual Zach Taylor First Amendment Essay Contest prize is also announced during the event.

From what you wear to what you post & share, the First Amendment affects the daily life of students.

08/19/2021

On Friday, August 13, SPLC executive director Hadar Harris sent a letter to East End School District (Arkansas) Superintendent Heidi Wilson asking that she reprint pages which had been ripped from the Bigelow High School yearbook and distribute them to the full school community. Harris further asked...

02/21/2021

A high school student editor in Oklahoma was censored as they tried to publish an article about teachers resigning due to safety concerns over COVID-19.

Contact: Hadar Harris, Executive DirectorStudent Press Law Center(202) 549-6316 / [email protected] Student Journalists Celebrate 3rd Annual Student Press Freedom Day on Feb. 26 Wash…

11/17/2020

Folks, the weird, wild year continues...

Feedback from my previous email revealed more questions than answers concerning an ideal date for our High School Journalism Day, which would be virtual this year. So we decided to push it out a bit.

Let's try and focus on a date in the new year. Late January or early February.

Please, submit some feedback to best help me offer some dates for discussion. We can definitely deliver an excellent group of speakers, and we're happy to fit your needs as well. Hopefully, this could offer something different and interesting to your journalism students during this time.

Wishing you all the best, now and during the holidays.

John
[email protected]

10/14/2020

From column: The judge reasoned that the case was governed by the U.S. Supreme Court’s standard in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969). Under the Tinker rationale, public school officials cannot censor student expression unless they can reasonably forecast that the student speech will cause a substantial disruption of school activities.

The judge concluded that “the school’s removal of the painting restricting N.T.’s political speech cannot be justified.”

Public school officials in Franklinton, La., likely violated the First Amendment rights of a high school senior when they painted over his parking spot, which featured a portrait of President Donald Trump wearing a stars-and-stripes bandanna and sunglasses. A federal district court determined that t...

10/14/2020

Public school officials in Franklinton, La., likely violated the First Amendment rights of a high school senior when they painted over his parking spot, which featured a portrait of President Donald Trump wearing a stars-and-stripes bandanna and sunglasses. A federal district court determined that t...

10/12/2020

Greetings, HS advisers. I hope all is well with you and your students during this crazy year that is 2020. It's certainly an historical time for journalism.

We are planning a Journalism Day this semester, although a virtual edition. We will utilize Zoom, take advantage of breakout rooms for individual talks, and hope that offering useful information is attractive enough, knowing that we all are dealing with Zoom fatigue.

Tell me what you think at [email protected]

Also, here are some dates to consider:

Nov. 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19. Let's get a show of hands for dates of preference.

John

09/30/2020

Fact-checking and media literacy tips for your students

Poynter’s nonprofit, nonpartisan MediaWise Voter Project recently launched Prep for the Polls, a free, 10-day text message course to teach first-time voters to spot misinformation online.

Each day, your students will receive a text message from MediaWise’s Heaven Taylor-Wynn with five minutes worth of social media-focused fact-checking tips and tools. Students can text back and complete short, fun activities to help them find reliable information online about the election. After 10 days, students will feel more confident voting based on facts, not fiction.

Give first-time voters a hand using something already in their hand. With just over 30 days until Nov. 3, please share our Prep for the Polls text message course with your students today.

Want to know how to prep for the polls as a first-time voter this election season? Step one: take this free text message course!

08/30/2020

John Helsley said OSU HS Journalism Day will be conducted virtually.

He said he would soon send a couple dates via email seeking feedback to which one is best.