A study asked selected high school principals to respond to statements about the value of high school journalism to the high school student and about the rights and responsibilities of the high school journalist. These responses were then checked against such information as whether or not the high school principal had worked on a high school publication and how the principal valued that experience. Subjects were 43 high school principals (a response rate of 67%) from communities in the central and north central sections of Iowa selected so that all the principals represented high schools where there is a certified journalism teacher. Questionnaires which covered demographics, questions about the school, the journalism program and the principals' own high school journalism background, the value of high school journalism to the high school student, and the rights and responsibilities of the student journalist (and also asked the principals to evaluate the statements on a 5-point scale) were mailed to each principal. Results indicated that years as a principal cannot be used to predict a principal's response to the rights of the student journalist; knowing whether the principal worked on a high school publication can help predict how the principal values high school journalism 20% of the time; knowing how principals rate their own high school publication experience can help predict how they value high school journalism today 16% of the time and how supportive they are of high school student rights 10% of the time. (Seventeen tables of data are included.) (RAE)