Adviser hopes for spread of anti-Hazelwood legislation

by Karl Grubaugh

Hazelwood stories: On the 25th Anniversary of the Hazelwood decision, I can rejoice that it’s never applied to me. I live, teach and advise a scholastic newspaper in California, which has some of the strongest protections for student journalists and advisers in the nation.

But I know so many other advisers from across the country who are handcuffed, every day, by the heavy hand of the Hazelwood decision.

And the fact that Hazelwood is so often inappropriately applied by less-than-thoughtful administrators makes it that much worse.

And so, my hope on this anniversary is that it takes a lot less than 25 years to pass the same kind of strong First Amendment protection legislation across the country that I’ve enjoyed for my entire advising career.