Ball State is continuing its program of raising awareness about the First Amendment in schools with a new DVD aimed at principals and administrators.

"A First Amendment Guide for Principals and Administrators" was developed by J-Ideas, the university's First Amendment awareness organization created to promote the First Amendment, media literacy and encourage student media in high schools.

The DVD is needed to help school administrators better understand First Amendment activities, which have been overlooked or abandoned in many schools, said Warren Watson, J-Ideas director.

"We must make the First Amendment our first priority," he said. "Student media is a great proving ground for young people, a chance for them to learn journalism and citizenship skills."

The DVD, which will be distributed at national journalism conventions this spring and summer, features several Ball State faculty and school administrators assessing First Amendment issues facing high schools, including:

• Watson, who provides an overview of court cases that have shaped the First Amendment
• Robert Pritchard, a Ball State public relations professor, reviews how schools can develop public relations activities
• Joseph McKinney, a Ball State educational leadership professor, provides insight on the role administrators play in working with student media

The DVD, the fifth installment of J-Ideas educational series, was produced in conjunction with Ball State's Teleplex. The next video project is a DVD on media ethics.

For more information about the DVD, go online to www.jideas.org.