Hawaii signs into law the Hawaii Student Journalism Protection Act, becoming the 16th state

Jun 1, 2022

Hawaii has become the 16th state to enact press freedom laws for student journalists.

In May, Governor David Ige signed the Hawaii Student Journalism Protection Act, a bill supported by the Student Press Law Center in Washington, D.C., in its New Voices campaigns, to protect students from censorship by administrations. The legislation overrules the U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1988 that gave high school administrations substantial control over the content of student publications. In the press freedom bills, administrations can still require changes to avoid libel and privacy liabilities. But the legislation gives students the primary right to determine the content of student publications and protects them from retaliation when they object to illegal censorship.