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High school newspaper 'hook up' issue calls for new restrictions

By Megan Twohey | Tribune reporter

February 15, 2009

After printing stories detailing the casual sexual encounters of students, the Stevenson High School newspaper must now submit to new restrictions that have drawn fire from parents and critics concerned about censorship.

The Statesman's "hooking up" issue, which includes such quotes as "getting felt up isn't even a base anymore," is the award-winning paper's latest effort to tackle delicate subjects.

But Jim Conrey, spokesman of the Lincolnshire school, said Friday that the controversial content isn't the problem, rather shoddy journalism.

"We think another pair of eyes is needed to look for red flags," Conrey said. "It's not about censorship."

He said the Jan. 30 issue—the 3,400 copies were snapped up—recklessly exposed the identities of the students by using their first name and graduation year and failed to achieve balance by omitting those opposed to hooking up.

It also abandoned ethics by including the timeline of one student's successful quest to get a girl into bed at a party, which Conrey described as a "how-to guide for sexual predators."

For the last year, the administration has unsuccessfully voiced its concerns to Barbara Thill, the journalism teacher who serves as adviser to the Statesman, he said.

So this month, the administration created a review process that will include other school officials, possibly the head of the English department.

The administration has the backing of School Board President Bruce Lubin but has been criticized by some parents, who attended a board meeting to complain. First Amendment advocates are also angered.

"Prior review is camouflaged censorship," said Randy Swikle, Illinois director of the Journalism Education Association.

Thill did not return calls for comment, and Jamie Hausman, a newspaper editor and a senior, said the staff would not comment on the controversy.

Asked if the paper would submit to the new review procedure, Hausman said, "At this point . . . there's no real say in the matter."

mtwohey@tribune.com