Normally we bring you diverse – often lighthearted – stories from around the neighborhood, but this week we get serious as Wilson High School dominated the news after Principal Kimberly Martin instituted a policy of prior review for the school newspaper, the Wilson Beacon. In case you missed the coverage, here are a few of the stories about the controversy, and hopefully its resolution, that we thought were worth reading:

• Beacon staff wrote an editorial staunchly opposing the new policy, stating in part: “Student journalism is about questioning the way that our school and our society operates. Not only does prior review take away our freedom to criticize, it creates an atmosphere of censorship that will make students more reluctant to tell their stories.” ~ Prior Review is Indirect Censorship

• A subsequent online petition calling for Principal Martin to reconsider the policy garnered 750 signatures. ~ Petitioning Principal Martin – Unmediated Student Media

• Media outlets from WAMU to Washingtonian magazine to the Washington Post picked up the story, while residents took to Twitter, Facebook, and email to decry the policy. Former New York Times columnist Frank Rich, who was editor of the Wilson Beacon back in the day, even weighed in. ~ Principal to Wilson High School Newspaper: I’m Your Editor Now; High School Journalists Criticize New Principal’s Prior-Review Policy; D.C. Students Say Pre-Publication Review Of Newspaper By Principal Is ‘Censorship’

• In response to the pressure, Principal Martin appears to have decided to amend the prior review policy, requiring instead that the Wilson Beacon establish a clear editorial review policy and that staff advisers see all work before it is published. She also wants quotes approved by those interviewed for the paper. ~ Wilson High School Principal Drops Demand to Review Student Newspaper Articles

Stay tuned…