National student media organizations today took the unprecedented step of releasing a “Student Media Alert” to warn about the current threats to student speech posed by recent immigration enforcement actions on campuses across the country.
The alert recommends student media leaders revisit their policies on takedown requests and anonymous sources, particularly for those whose immigration status may make them targets for their lawful speech. It also provides resources to aid in those decisions.
“At this moment, it is essential to hear from those most impacted by current U.S. policies,” the alert states. “It is our duty as journalists to seek them out. Find the balance required to tell the most accurate story you can while minimizing harm.”
The unprecedented alert is issued by Associated Collegiate Press, Journalism Education Association, College Media Association, National Scholastic Press Association, Quill & Scroll and the Student Press Law Center. This coalition represents all the national independent nonprofit organizations serving the student journalism community.
It comes after Tufts University international student Rumeysa Ozturk was detained by federal authorities and had her visa revoked, reportedly based on opinions expressed in a student newspaper op-ed. Last week, these organizations joined with other free speech groups to condemn the arrest and the significant chilling effect it has already had on student media.
The Student Press Law Center, which operates a free Legal Hotline for student journalists and their educators, has seen a flood of anxious questions from college and high school journalists across the country. Inquiries to the hotline were up 39% in March compared to the same period last year.
Student media leaders report to SPLC being inundated with requests from fearful sources and staff members asking to remove their names and bylines from past stories. Other student editors want to know how to protect their sources and staff members moving forward.
SPLC Senior Legal Counsel Mike Hiestand notes the extraordinary nature of the moment.
“I have been working at the Student Press Law Center for more than three decades, and I am now warning student journalists about things I have never had to tell them before,” he said. “Student speech that is, or should be, fully protected by the law is now being weaponized by the U.S. government and student media must adapt to continue to fully report on their communities.”
Student journalists with legal questions are urged to contact SPLC’s Legal Hotline.
The full alert is here and copied below.
Student Media Alert – April 4, 2025
Recent detentions and deportations of international students by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) demand urgent and unprecedented attention from student media in the United States. News reports make clear that non-citizen student speakers, including those who have published legally protected speech in student media, have faced severe consequences, including visa revocation, detention, deportation or bans on reentry.
We are national organizations representing the interests of student media and journalism educators in the United States. Many of our organizations have existed for a century or more, and we have never before issued this type of alert. We do not do so lightly now. In fact, what we are suggesting today stands in opposition to how many of us as journalism educators have taught and advised our students over the years. But times have changed and we feel we must respond to the moment.
The U.S. Secretary of State made clear after the arrest of Tufts University graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish national whose only demonstrated offense was co-authoring an opinion piece published in her student newspaper, that ICE actions against her comply with current U.S. policy and will continue.
Ethical journalism demands that we minimize harm. We have issued this alert because our organizations believe student media may fail that obligation if they continue to adhere to the traditional guidelines in light of recent developments. ICE has weaponized lawful speech and digital footprints and has forced us all to reconsider long-standing journalism norms.
As long as these risks exist, we urge student media in the United States to:
1. Review Your Takedown/Anonymity Policies
Consider easing some of the normal restrictions you may have applied to takedown requests, allowing those identified in certain stories that may now be targeted by immigration officials to retroactively remove or alter identifying information. These are not easy editorial decisions, but these are not normal times. We encourage you to weigh the news value of including identifiable information while recognizing the escalating risks of public association with certain topics.
Note that this not only applies to your website’s content but also to social media posts.
Our organizations have generally cautioned student media to exercise restraint in taking down, altering or even de-indexing published material. Student media provide an important historical record of the institutions they cover and “altering” history by removing or changing archived stories, unless to correct errors, is antithetical to the mission of journalism. But the political and legal climate has changed in America. Today, granting retraction or anonymity requests could protect those most vulnerable from being punished for their speech.
Keep in mind that altering online content can bring unique risks, and you should make any decisions only after fully considering those risks. A list of resources to learn about and manage those risks is below.
2. Be Transparent With Your Sources and Audiences About Anonymous Bylines and Sourcing
Consider providing clear options for pseudonyms or “anonymous” attribution for individuals, especially for non-citizens, who may produce content for student media or be quoted on sensitive topics (e.g., immigration, foreign policy, dissent). At this moment, it is essential to hear from those most impacted by current U.S. policies. It is our duty as journalists to seek them out. Find the balance required to tell the most accurate story you can while minimizing harm.
Again, you should make these decisions only after educating yourself about the risks. You should not promise to keep a source’s identity secret unless you are prepared to keep that promise, no matter what. A list of resources to learn about and manage those risks is below.
If you do include pseudonyms or anonymous sources, explain to your audience why the sources requested it and why you made those choices.
3. Educate Staff on Risks
Train editors and staff to understand the risks now faced by sources and non-citizen contributors if flagged by authorities. Be cautious about documenting and sharing confidential information or storing it on school resources or using school networks that may be insecure or subject to administrative search. The Student Press Law Center has issued a special legal guide for student media covering immigration topics.
Additional Resources
- Responding to takedown demands (SPLC)
- Protecting Sources & Information (SPLC)
- Reporters Privilege Compendium (RCFP)
- An illustrated Poynter guide to using unnamed sources in your reporting (Poynter Institute)
- Unnamed Sources (JEA)
- Legal FAQs on “Ice Raids” for Student Journalists (SPLC)
- Source protection (Freedom of the Press Foundation)
- News organizations’ policies on anonymous sources: Associated Press, NPR
For More Information
For free legal help, contact the Student Press Law Center’s Legal Hotline.
For additional information or questions about this alert, contact splc@splc.org.
Signed By
Associated Collegiate Press
College Media Association
Journalism Education Association
National Scholastic Press Association
Quill & Scroll
Student Press Law Center