Fighting the Good Fight

Schools around the country are battling freedom of the press issues with their college administrations. Some examples below:

"The editor of Chicago State University's student newspaper, who earlier this month filed suit against his school's administration alleging unlawful censorship, has now been told his paper will not go to print this week," Kate Maternowski wrote Thursday for the Student Press Law Center. "George Providence II and the Tempo have been at odds with CSU administration since last year, when Providence says oppressive attempts at administrative oversight began. The most recent development in Tempo's saga began with the installment of a new adviser, Quraysh Ali Lansana, and culminated Monday night with Lansana's decision to suspend publication of Tempo." --- Source: Journal-isms

"After Quinnipiac University threatened to revoke the status of the campus’ Society of Professional Journalists chapter for supporting a new student-run publication, SPJ leaders sent a letter to university president John L. Lahey expressing its grave concern over the proposed action.

Quinnipiac Student Center Director Daniel W. Brown informed the school’s SPJ campus chapter that it was in danger of losing its status as a student organization if the chapter’s members continued to interact with the Quad News, an independent student-run publication. The Quad News, an online publication, started in opposition to administration attempts to control content of the Quinnipiac Chronicle. Several student editors left the Chronicle and started the Quad News. The president of the student SPJ chapter being threatened, Jaclyn Hirsch, is also the managing editor at the Quad News." --- Source: SPJ

"Fellow student journalists at Ohio University are experiencing some trouble with their Board of Trustees and obtaining public records. Evan, OU Society of Professional Journalists president, has posted on the chapters' blog about the problem they are having with C. Daniel Delawder, board chairman. The blog entry states: To use Mr. Delawder’s own words, this is a very sore subject for me, and perhaps it is time we start pushing back. And I am quite serious. Should this asinine policy be implemented by the OU Board of Trustees, SPJ will certainly push back – just like it has done for the past 100 years in order to protect the nature and rights of people and journalists across the nation. The Board needs to live up to its creed of account ability to its constituencies and hiding public records is quite counterproductive." --- Source: UC SPJ blog

As our industry continues to change, we must remember that the tenants of the first amendment as they relate to the press cannot be redacted. Bravo to these organizations/publications for standing up for their rights!