Good News

July 31, 2009

National journalism group to honor Wilkes U. student

By Andrew M. Seder aseder@timesleader.com
Times Leader Staff Writer
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WILKES-BARRE – A Wilkes University student has been recognized by a journalism organization for his crusade to educate others on the importance of the First Amendment.

The Society of Professional Journalists will award Andrew Seaman, a senior communication major from Forest City, with the Robert D.G. Lewis First Amendment Award, which honors a student who has demonstrated outstanding service to the First Amendment through the field of journalism.

Seaman, 21, will receive his reward at the society’s annual luncheon in Indianapolis on Aug. 28.

On Wednesday, Seaman said he was honored to earn the recognition from fellow journalists for his efforts to preserve First Amendment rights.

His past efforts have included an essay contest for area high school students with a focus on the First Amendment. He and fellow Wilkes student Nicole Frail came up with that idea.

Currently, he’s spearheading a national initiative to secure stronger First Amendment rights for newspapers at private colleges and universities such as Wilkes.

While public-college newspapers have great autonomy, those at private colleges are sometimes closely overseen by administration, and sometimes, Seaman said, stories are silenced because they place the school in a bad light.

He said that in his time at Wilkes and working with the student newspaper “The Beacon” he has not experienced this, but he’d like to make sure his successors never will either.

Working with the SPJ and the Student Press Law Center, he’s trying to get a standard document drawn up that would be sent to private college newspapers. Those publications would get the school administration to sign the document granting the paper the protection to work without administration scrutiny but also exclude the school from legal liabilities from lawsuits.

Seaman said this would allow students to work without fear and to expose wrongdoing at their schools without a chance of censorship.

He said he hopes to have the contract finalized this summer and have it presented to a handful of schools, including Wilkes, on Sept. 17, Constitution Day. And then he hopes the initiative expands over the next few years until all private colleges with newspapers are involved.

He said it’s an important issue that too often gets overlooked.

“Local newspapers have a lot on their plate. Often news at local colleges gets overlooked and it’s up to the campus newspaper to expose issues. This will help insure that happens,” Seaman said.

Lauren M. Rochester, the awards coordinator with the SPJ, praised Seaman’s efforts and called his work “truly admirable” and said he is “deserving of recognition.”

In addition to the latest honor, Seaman was also recognized as the 2009 Arthur H. Barlow National Student Journalist of the Year, presented by The Society for Collegiate Journalists.

Andrew M. Seder, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 570-829-7269.

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