Before the Games: Student Press Freedom Day

Written By: Victoria Cuellar and Maria Victoria Almarza

Editorial

(Kit (formerly ConvertKit)/Unsplash)

Feb. 12, 2026

MIAMI — “The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”

— Thomas Jefferson, 1787 

The framers wielded quills shaped from the feathers of molten geese, dipped in ink from the buds of oak leaves as they wrote the words “We the People.” The parchment, made of sheepskin soaked in lime juice, continues to beat blood into the heart of the country they founded, endowing us with unalienable rights and liberties. Although all are vital, on Feb. 26, we will be celebrating Student Press Freedom Day and our First Amendment right to freedom of the press.

Throughout American history, the press has been fundamental to democracy. For the Constitution to be ratified, it had to be voted on by each of the thirteen colonies. In New York on Oct. 30th, 1787, readers of the New-York Packet found its front page invaded by this complex document that began with “We the People.” They were asked by their newspapers and almanacs to determine if this was the country they wanted. They had the power to choose as there would be no Kings in America. After three years and a total of 208 proposed amendments, the free people chose the framers’ nation.

(Anthony Garand/Unsplash)

At StoryBytes, we seek to uphold this legacy and give both audience and team members the power to shape the organization. We are privileged to have an advocate and protector in our unparalleled adviser, professor Emily Sendin. Her ferocious resistance to censorship, both external and self-imposed, continues to shape the culture of our small publication. Just three weeks ago, Sendin became a College Media Association and Student Press Law Center Louis E. Ingelhart Award recipient for Before the Games — an immersive, experiential escape room that imagines Suzanne Collins’ Panem when it was still the USA. It portrays a time when a Constitution and a Bill of Rights promised every citizen freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

The week-long escape room, taking place from Feb. 23–27, will remind participants not only of their rights but also of the importance of advocating for them. It aims to unsettle players by making a dystopian reality feel frighteningly possible. It will warn them that censorship seldom screams. When it comes, there are no golden bells echoing or newsmen running in the streets. There is no ripping of papers on podiums as a leader waves a macabre finger, or moustache-twirling villains on TV announcing they are stripping citizens’ rights.

Instead, it begins when communities feel ashamed to ask questions and become numb to injustice. It begins when silence feels safer than words while the truth demands courage. The fight for freedom of speech is a shared human responsibility, and we strongly encourage StoryBytes members and Miami Dade College students alike to join us in this week-long experience because the First Amendment only matters if we’re brave enough to use it. 

(Suheily Alvarez/StoryBytes)