Today is the eighth annual Student Press Freedom Day, an annual event that celebrates student journalists all around the world. It was created by the Student Press Law Center– but why celebrate it?
Student Press Freedom Day
The event has been advertised online through social media, but SPFD also has its own website.
“Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, will be the eighth annual Student Press Freedom Day! Student journalists and their supporters across the United States will spend the day — and all month long — raising awareness of the challenges they face, celebrating their contributions to their schools and communities, and taking actions to protect and restore their First Amendment freedoms,” the SPFD website reads.
This year's theme is "At the Forefront." The theme changes each year, and events are themed around it.
While we at The Wright State Guardian only take today to celebrate it, we– and student newspapers all around the state and country– dedicate every day to achieving the goal of SPFD.
As student journalists, providing this campus with news is vital to keeping students informed of the life that goes on around them– whether it be events on-campus, to student and club spotlights and even local happenings. We pride ourselves on being entirely student-run, and we ensure the wants and thoughts of Wright State University’s students are being presented to the world.
SPFD focuses on the challenges student journalists can face in this career, and the challenges range from many topics. Oftentimes, student newspapers are disregarded for being inaccurate or lazy writing, despite our three-level editing system that every article and social media posts go through before publication.
“Student Press Freedom Day is a national day of action when we celebrate the contributions of student journalists and the need to support their independence without censorship or threat to their advisers. We call attention to the arbitrary and needless censorship of student journalists, and call upon elected officials to restore and protect student press freedom,” SPFD states.
There has also been the recent issue of the country’s freedom to practice its First Amendment right, which protects the United States’ freedom of speech and the press. This means we are allowed to talk about and publish what we want, and we cannot be punished by the government as a result of this.
This amendment is usually used to defend journalists who write about sensitive topics that may be seen as “taboo,” or may cause an upset with the general public. An example of this can be seen on The Wright State Guardian’s Instagram, in which we receive “hate comments” for certain articles. Of course, as part of the amendment, these comments are kept up, as the reader has every right to state an opinion on what we write.
Journalism is an important field that is vital to keep alive in today’s world, where news is at risk of being overshadowed by misinformation or efforts to silence the truth.
Student journalists: why do we write?
Three journalists currently working at The Wright State Guardian have disclosed why they enjoy being a student journalist, and what inspires them to keep writing.
Carli Devanna is the staff Sports Reporter, and often writes articles regarding sports events that involve WSU, like home games.
“I am a student journalist because I enjoy spreading the word about various sports teams around campus, and it also helps me learn about my career field from various different perspectives,” Devanna said.
Being a student journalist is also an excellent source to gain experience before going into the post-graduation job field, like Devanna comments on.
Ashley Hainzer, staff News Reporter, strives to share information with the world, and often has plenty of ideas to provide to the team.
“I am a student journalist because I feel like it is important that people know what is going on in the world. Any way that I can help with that is great for me,” Hainzer said.
Personally, I see news as a vital resource in today’s society, and finding reports who know how to report factual, unbiased news to the world is a difficult thing to find these days. Being a part of a group who has this same objective has been a rewarding experience that I would recommend to anyone who seeks to keep the city, state and country informed.
The Wright State Guardian is an excellent place to begin working towards this future. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us, either by stopping by our office at 015 Student Union, or by e-mailing me or our Editor-in-Chief personally.
