Your Questions, Answered

Question | Copyright & Fair Use

Can the student newspaper get in trouble for publishing a tweet posted by a student in one of their articles?

Can the student newspaper publish a tweet posted by a student in one of their articles?

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Question | Privacy

Can my student newspaper use a student’s name when reporting on sensitive topics, such as abuse or depression?

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Question | Privacy

Can my student organization broadcast a student’s name and photo in one of our productions without that student’s consent?

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Question | Privacy

Can I get in trouble for publishing student quotes in an article when the student and student’s parents sign a release form, but then the parents object to the use of the quotes?

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Question | Privacy

Can I publish an article for my school newspaper if a student featured in the article says she doesn’t want to be mentioned?

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Question | Copyright & Fair Use

Can we use a popular song as background music for a video that will be played at graduation?

You can likely use popular songs as background music in your graduation video because it is a fair use of the songs and no money is made from using the songs.

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Question | Copyright & Fair Use

Can I use 30 seconds of a Beyoncé song in the background of my video?

No, even if it’s only 30 seconds, its still likely to infringe Beyoncé’s copyright.

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Question | Social Media

Can a school suspend students for attacking another student on social media?

A school has the authority to discipline students for off-campus attacks made on social media that disrupt the general student welfare or attack an individual student. Even though the First Amendment protects many kinds of speech, student speech that is considered a true threat or creates a substantial disruption to the school will not be protected.

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Question | Privacy

Does reporting on a student's suicide violate privacy?

A family likely cannot get the principal to remove the story due to the legal reason of invasion of privacy. However, as journalists, ethically, you should consider the feelings of the family in your publication, and treat the issue with respect, focusing on the life of the student, rather than their death.

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Question | Student Expression

Can a school stop you from creating a memorial for a student suicide victim?

A school can stop you from doing that because the school is probably worried that the memorial could cause a substantial disruption in the school and interfere with learning. But there may be a more thoughtful way of commemorating the student that the school would be less likely to censor.

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Question | Student Expression

Can a school ban pictures of students with guns?

Decisions about whether to publish a photo of a student with a gun must balance students’ constitutional rights with the school’s mission and responsibility to maintain a safe, non-disruptive school environment.

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Question | Privacy

Your Guide to FERPA

FERPA is a law designed to protect the privacy of students. While it seems simple, how and when this law applies can be a little complicated.

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