European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 13, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday May 13, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 9 student newspaper staff fights censorship by Rosemary Sawyer staff write Wiesbaden West Germany student journalists at Gen. . Arnold High school have a Bonito pick with the . Supreme court. The Wiesbaden teen agers say their school newspapers being censored and thanks to the High court it s All quite Legal. The justices voted last year to allow school officials Broad Power to censor student Media. Be the youths Aren t relenting however. They re petitioning Congress to draft legislation that would free up their speech so to  far newspaper staff members along with speech and drama students have collected More than 800 Sig natures from local residents and fellow students who agree that school newspapers should enjoy greater first amendment Protection than allowed by the court. Specifically the petitions ask department of defens dependents schools officials to adopt policies nullifying the effects of the supreme court s decision in Hazel Wood school District is. Kuhlmeier. The proposal is patterned after Bills in California and  Don t think students should be forced to give up their first amendment rights when they walk through the school  said Wiesbaden journalism teacher Stephanie Mclaughlin. In order to become worthwhile and responsible citizens they have to be Able to practice freely what they icam in school about How a democracy functions and about the  the Case that prompted the supreme court s 5-3decision involved a principal at a Hazelwood mo., High school who in 1983 ordered two pages delete from an Issue of the student newspaper. The articles dealt with divorce and to can ugh pregnancy. The pregnancy article included three personal accounts from students who became pregnant while the second article quoted children of divorced parents. Justice Byron r. White wrote for the i Urt school need not tolerate student speech that is inconsistent with its Basic educational Mission eve though the government could not censor similar speech outside the  court contended that the school s spectrum newspaper was not a Public forum but a super Vised learning experience for journalism  in Wiesbaden principal Roger e. Youngman review the monthly newspaper before it goes to press. Students claim that Youngman has killed stories and discourage writers from pursuing controversial themes. Youngman forbade them to write stories about Valentine s Day Survey of teachers first kisses and a Black student s allegations of prejudice in the National Honor society induction process. The students also Point to instances in which stories were delayed or quotations deleted. He wants it to be a bulletin a 26-Page bulletin said associate editor Heather Corcoran. And that s not what students arc talking about. That s not what they want to know  the Young journalists said kids arc talking about issues that affect them including such traditionally taboo themes As sex drugs and  said his move to review the newspaper had nothing to do with the Hazelwood decision. In Stead it was prompted by the first Issue of the Warrior world this year which he said contained profanity Anda supplement by the yearbook staff that contained a photo of two girls grabbing their  kids have made the statement they feel that in a student newspaper they can write what the want anything they  Youngman said. And i say no i disagree with you that paper is an Extension of the school and the school s philosophy. That philosophy is not Only what the students want but it is also what is representative of the school itself and what is acceptable to the  Youngman said he s heard few remarks about the paper from parents he added that teacher shave complained of being misquoted or having their words taken out of  teachers also commented on stories that were taking knocks at kids and programs such As a critical review of a recent theater production he said. Youngman tries to offer alternative Story ideas whence asks students not to write something. For example rather than the proposed Valentine s Day kiss article Youngman suggested the students write about the history of the Holiday or about school volunteers. I m not certain that we should be opening up whole Bunch of controversy that in t necessary Youngman said. You re there to portray the goo images of the  Youngman said he nixed the Honor society Story be cause or a pending equal employment Opportunity . Youngman thinks the Community is our audience reporter Todd Funkhouser said. Our Audi ence is the student  is Dave Otto journalism teacher Stephanie Mclaughlin posts 11 so n at the a Minerbi or shopping Center while associate editor Heather Corcoran background right asks u shopper to is in a petition about censorship. I Don t think students should be forced to give up their first amendment rights when they walk through the school  Stephanie Mclaughlin added reporter Dora Trevino we were taught there Are two sides to an Issue. He wants us to be totally biased and totally positive. Anything that s remotely negative is  the Wiesbaden staff who say they re View 1 by school leaders As the anti administration club said they did go underground with one Issue of their paper. What we printed was t really what we should have printed but it was fun said world editor Katie Buchanan. It was a rebellion associate editor Corcoran said. We went off and said whatever we wanted to because we were tired of it. We were tired of the control and just  but despite the fun staff members agree it Hurt their credibility. Mary i cry a journalism teacher at Heidelberg High school suggests that what student journalists perceive As censorship often May be the sponsor s enforcement of ethical  further she said if legally defined censorship occurs it probably occurs As often at the sponsor level As at the administrative level. Fortunately Heidelberg High school administrators have thus far not opted to exercise censorship prerogatives extended by the i la Elwood  any restraint of Heidelberg s student prints is done by the sponsor or the editor said editor Laura Mcbride. Principal Bud Korth docs not review the newspaper in Advance. During Mcbride s two years at the paper s Helm. Prints has tackled such Sticky topics As suicide and the student newspaper is also what is representative of the school itself and what is acceptable to the Community. Roger e. Youngman drug overdoses. Korth s complaints have been limited to a single article critical of a school sports coach Mcbride  Wiesbaden teen agers said their readers suffer because of censorship As much As the writers and  Don t understand that this is More than just a class to us said scan Kilbride a member of the editing staff. We re not just out Here to write the paper to learn about journalism. We re also out to inform the students of what s really going on in the school and they have a right to  Corcoran worries that the present situation will leave her ill prepared for a professional journalism  keep telling us they re trying to prepare us for the real world Corcoran said but we re not going to go out into the real world and get on a real paper and have somebody say a Don t like that Story so you re not going to do it " Wiesbaden students asked other Dodds schools to join in the signature gathering fight but so far none has  Hazelwood decision should not be accepted by student journalists and they should fight teacher Mclaughlin  Don t know if it would be possible in a Dodds school because it is the government said Heather Owens of the editing stafl7"but if we can Send this to Washington and they Sec that we do care about it something might