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(Describer) On a dark blue background with light blue strobes, a ring of news images rotates around planet Earth.

(Describer) Title: Teen Kids News. Created by Albert T. Primo.

(Describer) A news desk.

Hi, you're watching "Teen Kids News." I'm Lylah. Let's begin with our top story.

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(Describer) Curved screens with the Teen Kids News logo form a turning cylinder. Title: Top Story.

After the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, the third most important document in our nation's history is the Bill of Rights. It was comprised of ten amendments. The most famous, and one of the most controversial, is the First Amendment. Alexandra tells us more.

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(Alexandra) The framers of the Constitution wanted to ensure that the individual rights of all Americans would be protected. So in 1791, the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution and ratified. The ink may be a bit faded, but the rights are a vibrant part of our national character. Of the original ten Amendments in the Bill of Rights, the one most people can name today is the First Amendment. It states, "Congress shall make no law "respecting an establishment of religion "or prohibiting the free exercise thereof or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." It's this part we want to focus on. "Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech or of the press." Simply put, we all have the right to say and write about whatever we believe. Well, not exactly. There are limits. For example, you can't "defame" a person. That means you can't give out false information that can harm someone's reputation. Our commitment to free speech and free press goes way back. In the 1600s, when Charles I was the king of England, people were not free to print whatever they wanted to. They needed to first get a license from the government. Well, one man, writer John Milton, didn't obey the law. He clearly saw it as censorship. So he published his work without getting the required permission. That put him in hot water with the authorities. So, guess what he did. While awaiting trial for publishing without permission, he went ahead and published another article, again without permission. This one argued that censorship was wrong. Note the words, "For the liberty of unlicensed printing." Amazingly, Milton convinced the court that the law was wrong, and that laid down the foundation for a free press. Interestingly, the first country to enact laws guaranteeing freedom of the press wasn't England. That honor goes to Sweden. Another giant step forward for freedom of the press took place while America was still a colony of Britain. John Peter Zenger published an article in his newspaper criticizing the royal governor, William Cosby.

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Zenger was arrested and put on trial, but the jury refused to convict him.

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It was another victory for a free press.

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It's a cherished freedom, and it doesn't only apply to adults. Freedom of the press is also an important issue for high-school newspapers. In recent years, school administrators moved to stop student journalists from reporting stories ranging from Covid compliance to LGBTQ+ issues. In some cases, like Northwest High School in Nebraska, the school paper was shut down after it published articles and editorials in its "Pride Month" edition. Although according to the administration, the paper was just put on pause. But even just being put on pause can have a chilling effect on young journalists, and that's where an organization called the Student Press Law Center, or SPLC for short, comes in. Joining us are Hanna Olson from California's Mountain View High School, and Pratika Katiyar is from Northeastern University in Boston. Welcome. -Thanks for having us. -Thank you for having us. Pratika, you're a student board member at SPLC. What exactly is the Student Press Law Center? The Student Press Law Center is a national legal services organization that provides different services for student journalists. So, there's a free legal hotline that students can call into or advisors can call into if they need help with a censorship issue, a copyright issue, whatever it may be. And SPLC also publishes guides to help students and advisors navigate issues within their newsroom. Whether it's AI guides or pronoun guides, we have all the resources available that can help student journalists be the best reporter that they can be. Hanna, you're editor in chief of your high school newspaper. You experienced censorship firsthand. What was the cause? The cause was that we decided to publish an investigative article about sexual harassment. And administration took issue with the fact that we continued with the publication of the article despite efforts to remove specific details and, you know, not publish the article altogether. So, because we decided to continue writing and publishing stories that addressed controversial topics, we were met with retribution, which came in the form of our advisor being removed and one of our Introduction to Journalism classes being cut. Wow. What are some other types of censorships students face? Another big type of censorship is self-censorship, which essentially means refraining from publishing a story because of fear of potential backlash or consequences to students or advisors or the newspaper program in general, leaving a lot of controversial, important topics on the table that students want to cover but are scared to cover. How common is censorship of student journalists? I would say that it's getting increasingly common in states across the country with all these new laws coming into place that limit what students can and cannot say in the classroom. They're all very, very connected to censorship of student journalists, so it's very, very common at the high-school level and even the college level, I would say. We've got to pause for a moment to get in a commercial break. When we return, we'll find out how students across the country are defending their rights for the First Amendment. Be right back.

(Describer) A spinning logo. Title: Teen Kids News.

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Welcome back. We're continuing our discussion about our First Amendment rights. Hanna Olson experienced censorship firsthand when she published an article on sexual harassment in her high-school newspaper. She told us the administration canceled a journalism class and replaced the newspaper's faculty advisor. I would think that most high school students would just accept moves like that by the administration. But you didn't. Why not? I never imagined that my high-school newspaper would be censored. I think I took for granted that we had this ability to publish stories that were controversial and about stigmatized topics. But overall, I think my motivation for taking this action was because I want to ensure that the Oracle, my school newspaper, is able to publish stories that matter and stories that are important to our community in the long run without this fear that something bad will happen if they continue with these stories. So, you turned to the SPLC, the Student Press Law Center. Northeastern University student Pratkika Katiyar is a board member at the SPLC. How did the SPLC help Hanna fight the censorship at her school? The Student Press Law Center provided legal review whenever possible and also referred Hanna to attorneys within the attorney referral network that SPLC has, and was able to use its legal resources to help Hanna and her peers fight this issue. In addition to the attorney referral network, hotline, and student guide, what are other ways the SPLC helps? We also have pre-publication review. If you're unsure whether your publication is legally sound, Student Press Law Center can help with that. And we also have advocacy and event efforts to kind of have more grassroots movement around this First Amendment issue. Hanna, you actually sued the school. How did your battle with the school's administration end up? It's still in process. I guess the fight is not over for any of the students in my class when it comes to ensuring long-term stability for our publication, but we've gotten a lot of support from our community. But there is still definitely work to be done, and I still hope to see us accomplish our goal, which is to get our advisor reinstated and to ensure long-term stability of the Mountain View High School Oracle. What advice do you have for other student journalists who may be dealing with similar First Amendment freedoms and censorship issues? My advice to them would be to not back down, similar to Hanna. I think your rights are so important and so crucial. Student journalism in general is such a pinnacle of democracy. We are the present and the future of journalism, and that's not to be taken lightly. So, if you feel like you're facing censorship issues, issues with maybe being hesitant to cover certain issues, you should reach out to the Student Press Law Center. We have lots of resources, as I mentioned. And also look into advocacy efforts in your state.

(Hanna) I agree. I think you need to not back down. Even though it's really scary getting confronted by people in positions of authority, it's very daunting when you hear, you know, your principal, your administration telling you that you shouldn't be publishing something when you know you can and should because it's a story that matters. So, I really encourage student journalists to persevere and also be aware of the resources at their disposal while also educating themselves about the New Voices laws and the Ed codes in their states so that they can ensure that they're fully informed and educated about what they can and should publish. All good points. And we're going to talk more about the New Voices law in an upcoming report. Thank you both for joining us. -Thank you for having us. -Thank you for having me. To be clear, the freedoms of speech and the press are not limited to just adults. Even teens have the right to these freedoms, and they shouldn't be taken for granted. Take a tip from reggae musician Bob Marley. Who wrote in his song, "Stand Up for Your Rights. Get up, stand up. Don't give up the fight." If you're a student journalist needing help with issues like censorship, contact the Student Press Law Center at splc.org. They say they'll help anyone, student or advisor, at no charge. For "Teen Kids News," I'm Alexandra.

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We have to take a quick break, but don't go away, because "Teen Kids News" will be right back. This season, we're putting a spotlight on people who didn't let failure get in their way.

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(Describer) White letters on a black flip board spin into position. They read: If At First.

(Describer) You Don't Succeed.

(Describer) Emily.

Quick, how many famous speeches can you name? Most of us will probably say "the Gettysburg Address..."

(re-enactor) "Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation."

(Emily) ...or the inauguration speech made by another president almost a hundred years later. And so my fellow Americans,

(Describer) Kennedy, 1961.

ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country. There's another famous speech that was also made in Washington, not by a president, but by a leader in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s.

(Describer) Martin Luther King Jr. addresses a massive crowd.

In the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, delivered a historic speech with the memorable words, "I have a dream." "I have a dream that one day, this nation will rise up "and live out the true meaning of its creed. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." It was a powerful and moving speech, expertly delivered. So, it may be surprising to hear that when Dr. King was a student, he failed to excel in public speaking. The man who spoke before a crowd of almost a quarter million people, the man whose words still ring out today, almost six decades later, only got a C in public speaking. I'll bet those thousands who were spellbound by his "I've got a dream" speech would've given him an A++. With "If At First You Don't Succeed," I'm Emily for "Teen Kids News." Let's face it, most of us don't get enough sleep. And while dozing off in class may get you detention, if you get behind the wheel when you're too tired, the consequences can be much worse. Check out this video from the National Road Safety Foundation.

(Describer) Happy home and family scenes quickly flash by.

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(Describer) Text: Think About All You Have.

(Describer) A rainy night.

Yeah, I definitely want to make it there tonight. -[car beeping] -No, I know. But I had coffee, I'll be fine.

(Describer) Text: Don't Risk It.

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(Describer) If You're Too Tired to Drive

(Describer) Pull Over.

(Describer) Have A Passenger Drive.

(Describer) Take A Nap.

(Describer) Call A Loved One.

Hey, boy. We're home.

(Describer) Make It Home.

The NRSF produces lots of helpful videos. For info on driving safely, be sure to like, follow, and subscribe to the National Road Safety Foundation. We'll be right back with more "Teen Kids News." This week, we once again visit the largest and certainly the most famous island in the Mediterranean.

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(Describer) A photo collage. Boxy stone houses topped with slanted orange roofs pack a rocky seaside point.

(Describer) Intricate carvings and paintings cover interior church walls.

(Describer) A bubbly cheese pizza.

(Describer) Text: Seeing Sicily.

(Describer) Ava.

(reporter) Throughout its history. Sicily's position in the center of the Mediterranean Sea was both the blessing and a curse. Its fertile fields and natural resources, command of vital trade routes, and strategic military importance were coveted by its neighbors. That's why Sicily was invaded so often by so many. The Greeks, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Ostrogoths, Arabs, Normans, Spanish, Austrians, Bourbons, British. And during World War II, the Germans, until finally liberated by American and British armies.

(Describer) A vast outdoor amphitheater.

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Traveling through Sicily today, you can still spot traces of those past invaders:

(Describer) Stone ruins.

the temples built by the Greeks... water carrying aqueducts constructed by Romans... the red domes on this church reflect Arab culture... while other churches show the impact of the Spanish. One of Sicily's most famous citizens was the Greek named Archimedes.

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Back in the third century CE, the Roman Navy laid siege to Sicily's most important city, Syracuse. For eight months, Archimedes used his genius in math and mechanics to defend Syracuse. That's him on the right. He designed huge metal mirrors to concentrate and reflect the sun's rays, setting invading ships on fire. More incredible are stories of Roman galleys being lifted out of the water and dashed to pieces by giant mechanical claws. The Romans finally overwhelmed the defenders and poured into Syracuse. The victorious general Marcellus ordered that Archimedes be brought to him, but unharmed. A soldier found the 78-year-old genius in deep thought over a math problem. When Archimedes refused to stop what he was working on, the angry soldier killed him. Archimedes is considered one of the greatest mathematicians ever. He discovered pi and even worked out a form of calculus 2000 years before Isaac Newton. With "Seeing Sicily," I'm Ava.

(Describer) A viewer email: It's so refreshing to see news about things that are so interesting and intriguing like the report about China that Ava did! It was amazing. In a world full of such bleak and bad news this is really nice. Crystal C., Texas.

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It's time for a short commercial break, but we'll be right back with more "Teen Kids News," so don't go away.

(Describer) A spinning logo. Title: Teen Kids News.

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(Describer) Jackson.

Farmers have made a fascinating discovery-- Cow produce more milk when they listen to music, but not just any music. It seems to work best with calming classical music. Guess it puts them into the "mooood."

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Well, that wraps up our show for this week, but we'll be back with more "Teen Kids News" next week. See you then.

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(Describer) Producer: Marilou Yacoub. Director/Writer: Alan J. Weiss. Executive Producer: Alan J. Weiss.

Accessibility provided by the U.S. Department of Education.

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(Describer) Copyright Alan Weiss Productions, 2024.

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(Describer) Accessibility provided by the U.S. Department of Education.