Being able to say what you believe in is something that many people in countries such as the United States take for granted. We are allowed freedom of speech, press, and religion, as the First Amendment dictates. This amendment is arguably one of the most important amendments, as without the freedom of the press, let alone speech, communities would suffer harshly.

Sadly for many countries, they do not have to think of what it would be like to not have those freedoms, as they are living in it. Countries such as Cuba, Syria, and North Korea have very strict censorship rules, which restrict what citizens are allowed to say and publish within the country.

A common theme that is found between these countries and other heavily censored countries is the amount of civil unrest that occurs. If the people in these countries were able to freely say, protest, and publish what they believe in, the amount of civil unrest would not be nearly as destructive, as the government would not have to go against citizens. Being allowed to do more things results in less discipline to be handed out. More restriction equals more discipline, therefore it is only reasonable to assume less restriction equals less discipline.

Every year on Feb. 22, the freedom of the student press is celebrated. With the first annual celebration held in 2018, National Student Press Freedom Day was created as a way for young future journalists and communities to realize the importance of both freedom of the press and student-led media. For all sizes of communities, news is important, and factual news is even more important, and the best way to start is by getting students and younger generations involved in what is happening within their community.

Student media is one of the many ways that this is done. For example, LHS Publications is an entirely student-led organization, with final decisions from page design to story writing being made by students, not teachers or school administration. Because of the support from the community and school district, Liberty High School was one of 28 schools to receive a national award known as the First Amendment Press Freedom Award for 2024. This is the first year Liberty has applied for, as well as the first year it has been awarded to Liberty and LHS Publications.