The road to scholastic press freedom : a survey of midwestern high school newspaper advisers to determine the effects adviser backgrounds and school demographics have on student press freedom

This study examines what characteristics of schools and advisers have the most effect on fostering free student press practices as reported by advisers. Advisers' perceptions were measured based on three scales: one that measured student practices, one that measured administrative practices and one that measured adviser practices. Data suggested that existence of student free expression laws and open forum policies, number of years of teaching and advising, licensure and certification to teach journalism, and membership in professional journalism organizations are among the characteristics that have the greatest effect on fostering freer scholastic press practices. Recommendations were made to scholastic media organizations to use this data to help prioritize the initiatives to best free press practices in school newspapers.Department of JournalismThesis (M.A.