It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Sarah Doerner, IJEA’s longest-serving president. Sarah died Nov. 29 in Du Quoin at the age of 86. Services were held Dec. 7. See below for our tribute to this great journalism educator.
High school seniors! Get your portfolios ready for the 2025 Illinois Journalist of the Year Contest! Entries will be due Feb. 15.
The winners of the 2024 IJEA Yearbook Contest have been announced! Check out our article below for the full listing of honorees!
A big thank you to everyone who attended our 2024 Fall Conference, which took place Sept. 20 at Illinois State University. The sessions were amazing! Thank you to all of our presenters!
Advisers! Join IJEA today! Annual memberships and lifetime memberships are available. Use our online form or fillable PDF to join!

Illinois Journalism Education Association, 2501 Chatham Road, Suite 200, Springfield, IL 62704

Illinois JEA

IJEA endorses JEA statement condemning attack on Capitol, reaffirming importance of journalism to protection of democracy

January 14, 2021

In the wake of the events on Jan. 6 in our nation's capital, the IJEA wishes to express its wholehearted support of the recent statement by JEA President Sarah Nichols on this topic. We are proud to stand with JEA in this and all matters regarding the role of a free press in the defense of democratic values.

IJEA Blog: Enemy of the American people? Scholastic Journalism Week gives students a chance to prove the opposite

Stan Zoller, MJE, IJEA Board Member • February 20, 2017

Never before have the media and the First Amendment come under such ridicule and hatred by a sitting president. During Scholastic Journalism Week — Feb. 19 to 25 — scholastic media outlets should encourage their audiences to become civically engaged and contact lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to let them know that an assault on the First Amendment is not only an attack on professional journalists but on the nation’s students as well.

Still unclear on how HB 5902 affects Illinois advisers, students? This Q&A will help!

October 19, 2016

Note: This information is courtesy of Frank LoMonte of the Student Press Law Center. If you have additional questions, please contact the SPLC through their legal request site, by email, or call (202)...

Full text of HB 5902: Speech Rights of Student Journalists Act

October 19, 2016

Public Act 099-0678 HB5902 As Passed AN ACT concerning education. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly: Section 1. Short title. This Act may...

BREAKING NEWS: Speech Rights of Student Journalists bill is law!

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member • July 29, 2016

HB5902, the Speech Rights of Student Journalist Act, became law in Illinois on July 29. Gov. Bruce Rauner's signature means that student journalists and their advisers are protected against arbitrary censorship;...

HB 5902: A Twitter Retrospective

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member • June 28, 2016

From an idea to a public act signed by the governor into law, take a look at the journey of the Speech Rights of Student Journalists Act through the lens of Twitter. (Click on the Storify logo to access.)

UPDATE: HB 5902 is on governor’s desk

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member • June 28, 2016

From Stan Zoller, Chair of the IJEA Legislation Committee: A picture is worth a thousand words. Gov. Bruce Rauner has 60 days to sign, veto or take no action on the Speech Rights of Student Journalists...

House, Senate concur; HB5902 is headed to governor

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member • June 1, 2016

A story that started just six short months ago is now nearing its resolution. The Speech Rights of Student Journalists Act was drafted to guarantee that scholastic journalists are not restricted by...

Speech Rights of Student Journalists Act (HB 5902) unanimously approved by full Senate

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member • May 28, 2016

The IJEA Chair of the Legislation Committee, Stan Zoller, sends this update after the full Illinois Senate's unanimous passage of HB 5902 on May 27: The Senate passed HB5902 today by a margin of 51-0-1. The...

Speech Rights bill heads to Illinois Senate committee

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member • May 6, 2016

From Stan Zoller, JEA Director-at-Large and IJEA Member: The Illinois Senate Committee hearing for the Speech Rights for Student Journalists Act is 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 10 and is scheduled...

Debrief: Behind the scenes of the student press freedom bill in the House

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member • April 19, 2016

After the 114-0 vote in the Illinois House of Representatives on April 19, another step was taken on the path to ensuring free speech protections to the ethical and hardworking student journalists in Illinois. The...

BREAKING NEWS: HB 5902 passes in the House!

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member • April 18, 2016

The Speech Rights for Scholastic Journalists Act, HB 5902, passed in the Illinois House on April 19, by a 114-0 vote. The bill also picked up two more sponsors for a total of seven sponsors, five...

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