Former CNN, New York Times and Washington Post reporter Steven A. Holmes breaks down his best tips for writing and pitching Op-Eds.
Learn how to write and pitch an op-ed for Student Press Freedom Day in our Op-Ed Boot Camp
On Thursday night, students from more than 20 states (and even a few from overseas) joined the Student Press Law Center's Op-Ed Boot Camp to learn from veteran journalist Steven A. Holmes about how to write an effective op-ed and how to get it published. Nearly 100 students joined the event live, and more than 250 registered and received the link to the full recording. Clearly the event generated a lot of excitement!
This event kicked off our activities for Student Press Freedom Day 2021: Journalism Against the Odds (Feb. 26).
The goal of this boot camp is to empower student journalists to write op-eds about student press freedom for Student Press Freedom Day, and equip you to pitch and place these opinion pieces in your local daily newspaper. We hope you'll join this effort. Your voice needs to be heard. Your rights need to be protected.
There are an array of activities planned and many actions you can take to prepare for Student Press Freedom Day on your campus and your community. Learn more about how to take action for student press freedom:
Q: Can Twitter or another social media platform ban me from using their services? Does it violate my First Amendment rights?
A: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and other social media platforms are private companies that can restrict your usage of their services — even kick you off — if you violate the terms and conditions of their site. The First Amendment only restricts the actions of state actors, like government officials at all levels. As private companies, social media sites (and any other privately-owned site) can restrict your speech without abridging the First Amendment.
We saw this play out when Twitter permanently banned President Trump from using its services after it said his tweets violated the company policy against glorification of violence. Nothing in the First Amendment prohibits a private company from coming up with and enforcing its own policies regarding the content on its website, whether they’re enforced against a student journalist or the president of the United States.
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