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Published on 02/16/1998 All articles from this issue

Student journalists plan to fight LAHS principal's decision to censor photo

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By Linda Taaffe / Town Crier Staff Writer

Staff members of the Los Altos High School newspaper, the Talon, say they plan to challenge the principal's decision to censor a front-page photo from the newspaper's Feb. 13 edition.

"We think it's pointless to get mad for a little while and then nothing happens," said senior Jon Wiener, opinions editor for the paper.

Wiener said the staff is demanding a written apology from Principal David Brazer and wants the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District to change its policy so newspaper materials can not be viewed by administrators before publication.

The trouble started when a Los Altos teacher peeked into the newsroom and later alerted Brazer about a photo of the marquee at Mountain View High that Los Altos pranksters had rearranged to read, "The MV SPARTANS BLOW GOATS!" The accompanying article contained the same words.

Brazer demanded that the photo be pulled, saying it was "vulgar and disgusting." Brazer said he was also concerned about running the photo since one of the pranksters had taken it.

"Printing the photo presented a greater risk of retaliation (by Mountain View High students). I think the photo glamorized what they did. It's my responsibility to try to safeguard the campus against vandalism," said Brazer, who allowed the article to run unedited.

After a meeting with the administration, Talon editors decided to comply with Brazer's request and pull the photo rather than "risk being shut down," Wiener said.

The staff instead distributed all 1,800 copies of the newspaper with an explanation in place of the photo that read, "The LAHS administration censored a photograph of Mountain View's marquee that was originally in this space." They also distributed flyers with the photo.

Talon staff say the administration violated the California Student Free Expression Law.

Superintendent Rich Fischer said Brazer's decision did not violate California law. Under the district's education code, administrators have the right to censor student newspapers if they deem that specific material could "disrupt the campus," he said.