“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The First Amendment prominently displayed on the front wall of Palo Alto High School’s Media Arts Center serves as a reminder of the right that we as student journalists are privileged to exercise daily. But now these rights are under immense attack.
In late February, the Trump Administration announced that it would restrict the Associated Press’ access to White House events over its refusal of changing “Gulf of Mexico” to “Gulf of America.” The AP sued Trump in response to this. The Gulf of Mexico has held its name for the past 400 years. This policy, which may seem petty on the surface, reveals a darker picture— the erosion of our First Amendment rights.
Mike Hiestand, a senior legal counsel of the Student Press Law Center, explains the severity of this decision.
“What they’re being punished for, is for making an editorial decision,” Hiestand said. “It [Trump’s action] used to be that something like this would never have been allowed, would never have been tolerated. The fact that we’re actually seeing it now is part of a bigger playbook to just make things chaotic and overwhelm people.”
This is just one of many attacks on journalists’ right to exercise free speech. Since President Trump has taken office, he has taken control of the press pool, from the removal of major news outlets like The New York Times and Politico from their Pentagon Offices and replacing them with the New York Post and Breitbart News Network, conservative leaning news outlets.
These reporters’ access to White House events are being revoked just for not favorably reporting on Trump. They are being revoked for simply doing their jobs, which is to tell the truth. In a 2024 Pew Research Center Study, 73 percent of Americans said that press freedom is “extremely or very important to the well-being of society,” with no major differences between political parties. This goes beyond politics, as this is about basic rights our constitution ensures us. Press freedom is essential to our democracy and taking it away would mean silencing the truth.
Hiestand elaborates on this sentiment.
“We’ve never had a situation where the president has referred to the press as the enemy of the people,” Hiestand said. “I think that there’s typically been a healthy sort of amount of tension on the side between journalists. … but yet [we have] never had a situation where the head of state has dismissed the work that journalists do.”
Anthro magazine, along with every other Palo Alto High School publication and most professional publications, uses the AP style guide. If the AP gives in to Trump over the Gulf of America it sets a disturbing precedent about the degree at which the government can influence journalism. If Trump can control the AP, he has the power to control journalism in America in its entirety.
Being at Paly, we’re in one of the most protected places for student journalists. We have an entirely student-led journalism program that has been running for over 120 years and a state Education code that protects student journalists’ right to exercise free speech. However, these shields can easily come down if forced by the president of the country. What impacts the AP, one of the most widely used news sources in the world, might eventually impact Paly publications.
Limiting First Amendment rights for journalists is a major step on the slippery slope of censoring free speech in the US. It can have consequences outside of the bubble of journalism too. The press plays an important role in our democracy of holding the government responsible for its actions. Without a strong independent press, we walk down the slippery slope of removing their independence and we lose the essence of our democracy.
In the privileged bubble of Palo Alto it is hard to see the immediate impacts of the administration’s actions on student journalism. But Trump’s policies will have cascading effects on the rest of our constitutional rights — with the power to control the words of one news publication, what’s stopping him from silencing student voices or any dissenters at all?
We need to support journalism in all of its forms from national journalism to local journalism and beyond. One way to support journalism is to encourage your school to fund journalism programs, as journalism programs often get cut due to underfunding. In addition to supporting school journalism programs, you can support and donate to organizations that stand up for student press freedom like the Student Press Law Center which protects student journalists from censorship. The fight to defend the First Amendment starts with us.