7 Statesman editors leave Stevenson High student newspaper

Embroiled in a fight with administrators over censorship and other issues, seven editors of the Stevenson High School student newspaper have quit the publication, officials confirmed Wednesday.

Among the teens who stepped down from the Statesman were Editor in Chief Pam Selman and Managing Editor Evan Ribot, Stevenson spokesman Jim Conrey said. Neither could be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.

Conrey did not have the names of the other five students.

The teens left their journalistic posts by withdrawing from the class that produces the Statesman this week, Conrey said.

Stevenson students are allowed to change their schedules during the first five days of a new semester, Conrey said. The second semester began Tuesday.

Some of the teens will replace the journalism class with a different class, Conrey said. Others will have a free period.

The departures leave six students in the journalism program, Conrey said - enough to put out a newspaper.

New editors haven't been chosen yet, Conrey said.

The next issue had been set for a Jan. 29 release. Students intend to meet that schedule, Conrey said.

The award-winning Statesman has been mired in controversy for more than a year.

A January 2009 story about teen sex led to more administration oversight because of what officials said were reporting problems. A few months later, Barbara Thill left her post as the newspaper's adviser.

This past November, publication of that month's issue was blocked by administrators because of content objections. School officials later forced students to publish the issue without two stories that had raised concerns.

One article had been written by Ribot and the other by Selman.

The following month, a story was pulled from the December issue of the Statesman because it included private medical information about students identified in the piece.

Randy Swikle, director of The Illinois Journalism Education Association, decried the resignations as part of "the demise of what used to be a great journalism program."

At a well-attended school board meeting later in December, school board President Bruce Lubin announced plans to create specific procedures and guidelines for the young journalists.

Work on those guidelines was supposed to be under way this month.

Conrey said school officials are disappointed the teens left the Statesman.

"We were hopeful they would hang in there and work with the teachers and the administration," Conrey said.