Vancouver (Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Territories) — This February 23 marks the fifth annual Student Press Freedom Day, a day of action dedicated to uplifting the work of student journalists and bringing the issues surrounding student media freedom to the forefront of public attention.
Censorship is a rampant problem in Canadian student journalism. Student Press Freedom Day is a chance to meaningfully consider this unfortunate reality and demand better of our schools. Celebrating student journalists and their rights annually contributes to improving the state of scholastic journalism furthers the reality that student journalists are real journalists. Legislation like the Student Press Freedom Act, while important, are not the final fix to address the challenges that face student journalists. A rights-based approach to school administration that respects the work of student media is a much-needed culture that must be built up over time, and taking part in Student Press Freedom Day is a step along that road .
Student Press Freedom Day is organized by the Student Press Law Center, the first endorser to the Student Press Freedom Act. This year’s theme is Bold Journalism and Brave Advocacy. Learn more about Student Press Freedom Day at https://studentpressfreedom.org/.
This year, the SPFA Campaign Director Jessica Kim took on an additional role in the scholastic press rights movement, working with Student Press Law Center as an organizing Co-Chair for Student Press Freedom Day. Her worked focused on the impact of so-called “divisive concepts” legislation in the United States on student journalism, as well as programming for the day itself. You can find more information about what Jessica and the other student Co-Chairs have been doing at https://studentpressfreedom.org/student-chairs/.
Student Press Freedom Day marks an additional moment of celebration for the Campaign — the Co-Directors will be meeting with the Honourable Attorney General Niki Sharma to discuss bringing the SPFA into law on the same day. Last year, the Campaign met with the Honourable Premier David Eby while he was Attorney General to discuss the matter. The SPFA Campaign is hoping to see the Act introduced, passed, and implemented before 2024.
