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Key Findings (1)(2)
Curricular and Extra-Curricular Experiences with Journalism and the First Amendment
Among all high school students, 21% say they have taken classes that deal primarily with journalism skills. An interesting gap is evident when comparing students based on racial and ethnic categories: minority group students are much more likely to take journalism classes. Specifically, 29% of African American students and 25% of Hispanic students report that they have taken such classes. By comparison, only 19% of white students have taken classes that teach journalism skills.
Among all students, 58% say they have taken classes that discussed the First Amendment, and 52% say they’ve had classes on the role of the media in society. African Americans and whites do not differ in their exposure to such classes. However, Hispanic students in America’s high schools report having less exposure to courses on the First Amendment (52%, which is 6 points lower than the others). Also less than half (48%) of the Hispanics report having taken classes that discuss the role of media in society, a level lower than the 53% of non-Hispanic students who reported taking such classes.“Have you taken classes in high school that dealt with the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution? (Percentage of students indicating “Yes”)
The study also found differences between students born in the U.S. and students who remain citizens of other countries in their exposure to classes. Nearly 6 in 10 (59%) of the U.S.–born citizens report that they have taken First Amendment classes, as compared to 47% of the non-citizens. And 52% of the U.S.-born citizens say they have taken classes that deal with the role of media in society, a greater percentage than the 46% of foreign-born citizens.
When it comes to extra-curricular student media activities, however, immigrant high school students are far more likely than students born in the United States to participate in all forms of student media. 14% of the immigrant students participate in their student newspapers (as compared to just 7% of the U.S.-born), 10% of the foreign born participate in student magazines (as compared to just 3% of the U.S.-born), and 12% of the foreign-born work at a student-run television station which reports the news (just 4% of the U.S. born citizens say they do so).
Foreign-born students are even more likely to produce Internet publications, with 12% reporting such participation in student-run Internet media, as compared to just 4% of students born in the United States who say they do so.
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