Published: November 1, 1991

Some Unintended Lessons

The Bill of Rights was ratified 200 years ago, but it was only 22 years ago that First Amendment rights were extended to students. In 1969, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Tinker vs. Des Moines Independent Community School District, ruled in favor of three teenagers who had been suspended by their principal for wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War. Prior to Tinker, administrators had almost total control over the student press, and they were not shy about censoring what they deemed unfit for publication. After Tinker, student journalists enjoyed more...