Earlier this year a study commissioned by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation revealed that a large percentage of high school students in the United States did not understand their basic rights — at least not to the fullest extent. But are teenagers really to blame?

“Most students in schools are not exposed to the First Amendment and the principles it stands for,” said Mark Goodman, executive director of the Student Press Law Center, an agency founded to assist high school and college journalists.

In its study of 544 high schools, more than 100,000 high school students, nearly 8,000 teachers and more than 500 administrators and principals, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation found that students who either take journalism courses or participate in journalism activities tend to know more about the First Amendment as well as other basic rights.

“Part of the reason that students are not heavily involved with journalism is that they don’t think their voices are heard,” said Stacy Johnson, yearbook and newspaper adviser for Independence High School.

“In some cases the teachers and administration are not interested in teaching about the First Amendment, because they personally feel that (the) First Amendment has gone too far,” said Linda Waller, deputy director of the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund.

Justin Nguyen, 18, a recent graduate from Independence High School in San Jose, resurrected his school newspaper, which had been dead for eight years, with some of his friends.

They had to devote much of their time and face numerous difficulties in reigniting the paper, especially since there was no journalism class at their school.

Without sufficient financial and moral support, Nguyen as editor in chief struggled as problem after problem occurred, ranging from determining advertising prices to dealing with the administration.

Having to confront uncooperative principals or other school administration is not uncommon for high school journalists. One example of these problems occurred when Independence High was undergoing construction and one of the projects was the gym.

“There was a hole on the ceiling," said Nguyen. "When it rained, the water leaked, and made the floor soggy. Then we scheduled a meeting with the administration to talk about the leaking problem. The guy in charge of the construction, who was also an administrator, basically told us what to write and what not to write. It was ridiculous."

Ann Akers, associate director of the National Scholastic Press Association, said journalism offered many benefits yet was often not given a high value in the educational system.

“It seems odd to me that journalism classes offer all these good byproducts, but they somehow are not always available because of budget cuts or things like that,” said Akers.

She added that many adults themselves did not value the role of the news media.

“The scary part is that many adults, too, only care about gossip stories rather than other important issues,” she said.

It is tough to see teenagers interested in a new health discovery or a new government policy pertinent to education if their parents only subscribe to Us or National Enquirer, instead of local daily newspapers like the San Francisco Chronicle or San Jose Mercury News.

Goodman of the Student Press Law Center discussed how minors mirror their environment.

“As a culture, I don’t think we put enough emphasis on reading, especially (reading) newspapers,” he said.

Goodman added that it was the parents’ responsibility to encourage their kids to be good citizens by staying updated with current events and essential topics. Goodman said schools should also share this burden with parents by prioritizing journalism activities for students.

A money abuse investigation in the Palo Alto Unified School District is an example how far strong journalism can go in schools. In 1996 Palo Alto High School’s newspaper, The Campanile, exposed credit card misuse by school officials and the improper promotion of a senior administrator.

The paper also reported on hate crimes committed by white adults against Asian students in Palo Alto.

Nowadays, many teenagers find newspapers “not that interesting,” said Hannah Thrasher, 17, who prefers to acquire information from TV because “it’s faster and easier.”

Teenagers are more interested in drama, gossip, and celebrity news, Thrasher said.

However, Thrasher added that most of this information is not crucial or relevant to young adults.

Dow Jones’s Waller agreed.

“That's why you read about Britney Spears and this guy she met, or about Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt,” Waller said. “I think people know a lot about things that aren't necessarily crucial to American citizens.”

Editor's Note:
Long Lam was one of the students who, along with Justin Nguyen, resurrected his newspaper at Independence High School in San Jose.