In an unprecedented move, the University of Kentucky filed a lawsuit last year against its independent student newspaper, the Kentucky Kernel. The reason – the paper had requested investigatory documents related to sexual assault charges levied against an associate professor. The university refused to release the records, and the Kernel appealed to the state attorney general in April. When Attorney General Andy Beshear ruled the university must release the records, the school had two options: release the records in accordance with the order, or sue.
They filed suit against the paper on August 31.
This month, a judge ruled in favor of the university, citing their argument that the release of the records would violate the privacy of the victims and that no amount of redaction could protect their identities to a degree acceptable to the court. The Kernel has vowed to appeal the judgment, and in this month’s podcast we spoke with Marjorie Kirk, the editor-in-chief of the Kernel.