Reporter for FL high school paper told she can't write about medical marijuana amendment for paper.

[madfloridian]

There is just something so wrong with a journalism teacher telling a student she can not do this. Even worse is the reason the teacher gave....that their school paper was about "marketing and being a mouthpiece" for the school.

I take this personally. Many years ago I wrote for, helped proofread, and get the articles and ads blocked for the printer.....for this very newspaper. A long time ago...but that high school paper then encouraged our minds to think and write about pertinent things.

We were not a marketing tool for the school, and we were not just a mouthpiece. Sure we had to be careful, and we had to get what we wrote approved by the powers that be. But that is to be expected.

LHS Student Fights for Publication of Article on Medical Marijuana


Abbey Laine, a Lakeland High School senior and reporter for the school magazine, the Bagpipe, wants to do a news story about medical marijuana, but has been turned down.
SCOTT WHEELER | THE LEDGER

An editor of Lakeland High School's student magazine wants to write about the proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize medical marijuana.

"It does not fit into what we do. That type of article does not fit our audience," said Frank Webster, director of the school's Multimedia Communications Academy. "We are primarily about marketing and (being) a mouthpiece for Lakeland High and Harrison School of the Arts."

....Laine had a cancerous tumor on her kidney when she was 2 and had to have a year of chemotherapy and radiation to recover. Her chemo treatments led to several other problems, including anxiety and heart problems.

The principal backed the teacher. As expected the county's school lawyer backed the teacher and principal, fearing a lawsuit over it.

Laine had another opinion from The Student Press Law Center.

Frank Lomonte, executive director at the Student Press Law Center, a national organization that advocates for student First Amendment rights, said that is problematic and could be grounds for a lawsuit.

He said schools have to present an "educationally reasonable" justification to keep an article out of a student publication.

I wish her good luck. Read about some of her interviews, and her own experiences with cancer.

[madfloridian]

1. Another wanted to write about popularity of e-cigarettes...turned down also.

Seems a school paper would be a good place for thoughtful articles.

[RainDog]

2. The schools are afraid to appear to support "vice"

...and anything not presented as condemnation makes drug warriors cry.

[madfloridian]

3. Very good comment...so true. "makes drug warriors cry"

The high school appears to be afraid of truth. Catering to ignorance.

[RainDog]

5. That's why I said, elsewhere

that college is necessary to unlearn all the lies or lies of omission that are learned in high school.

It's not because of teachers - it's because of parents and administrators who are afraid of telling the truth - or they don't know about it themselves.

This is the way I see it: when people talk to teenagers, they mostly just want to make them averse to something, not informed about various things, unfortunately. The approach to marijuana is most like "abstinence only" education - don't talk about realities - just put horror stories out there and expect respect - but, as most of us know - that's not what happens in either situation - and the sort of education employed does harm to people, rather than help them take personal responsibility.

We can't talk about teenagers having sex in sensible ways or supply birth control via school clinics for those who need it (this would be too horrid for adults - but worthwhile for teens - so it doesn't happen.) We can't say - it is best to wait to have sex until you are more emotionally developed and outside of the terrarium of high school - but if you do have sex - use birth control because, if you are unable to support a child, economically, you should wait until you are able.

We can't talk about realities about harm - alcohol is much more harmful than marijuana (but both should be avoided by teens because they're too young.)

[ancianita]

4. That's the way school law works. Principals get the final say on what's in the paper.

It would be an interesting lawsuit, but there are precedents everywhere.