Student newspaper in Faribault goes to Web to avoid censorship

Last update: January 11, 2009 - 8:14 AM

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FARIBAULT -- About a month after the Faribault High School student newspaper was shut down by the district's superintendent, student journalists are taking their stories to the Internet.

The owner of a company that creates websites for student publications is offering student editors of the Echo a free site.

"We wanted to make sure they had a chance to keep publishing," said Jason Wallestad, owner of School Newspapers Online. "Our goal is to help student journalism as much as we can."

Superintendent Bob Stepaniak stopped the paper from being printed Dec. 14 after student editors refused to let him see an article before publication about the investigation into a middle-school teacher.

The website, truthwithecho.com, is under development and will likely have its name changed, Echo editor Christen Hildebrandt said. It will cover school news and events, but won't have any association with the district or use any of its resources, he said.

Hildebrandt said the website will be updated more frequently than the newspaper -- the Echo was published monthly. In addition, it will include creative writing, columns and photography.

Because the website isn't funded by the district, administrators have no control over content.

Stepaniak said he wasn't surprised a website was created.

"It's well within their right," he said. "Any group of students could put together a website like that. That's the way life is in this electronic age."

Kelly Zwagerman, a teacher at the high school and adviser for the Echo, will help the students outside of her school duties. The site, she said, will be run by the students and her role will be minimal -- she'll attend meetings and edit stories or offer guidelines for ethics.

"I'm very excited to see what students can do without the threat of censorship," she said. "Still, there has to be guidelines."

Meanwhile, the district is looking at the policy governing the Echo. Stepaniak and the Echo staff have each claimed the policy supports their view.

ASSOCIATED PRESS