News

MARYLAND -- The University of Maryland at College Park must make public the details of its employment contracts with athletic coaches at the school, the Court of Appeals of Maryland said in a 7-0 decision April 15.Journalists and open-government advocates applauded the ruling, saying that it could allow for greater public oversight of how public universities in the state spend their money.The ruling by the state’s highest court ends a two-year battle between The Baltimore Sun and the University of Maryland at College Park that began when a sports reporter for the paper requested the employment contract information of head football coach Ralph Friedgen under the Maryland Public Information Act.

COLORADO -- Colorado on April 13 became the second state to outlaw the theft of free newspapers.The law, signed by Gov. Bill Owens, will fine thieves up to $5,000 for taking newspapers from distribution racks “with the intent to prevent other individuals from reading that edition of the newspaper.”The fine varies by the number of papers stolen, but to constitute theft under the law, more than five papers must be taken.

OKLAHOMA -- Two students at the University of Oklahoma have settled a lawsuit over a school policy forbidding the allocation of student fees to their Christian newspaper.Ricky Thomas and James Wickett brought the lawsuit against the school Feb.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Student Press Law Center is advising college journalists who plan to cover the scheduled World Bank/International Monetary Fund and pro-choice demonstrations to be held this weekend in Washington, D.C., to take several precautionary steps to avoid being arrested or detained as were several student reporters and photographers attempting to cover past city demonstrations.

Although the District of Columbia of Police have admitted they were wrong and promised to change the way they handle future events, the Center offers some advice for college student media members planning to cover the protest that could help them avoid police problems.

NEW MEXICO -- Three student journalists received in-school suspensions after they passed out fliers protesting their school's prior review of the student newspaper.

KANSAS -- Minority students at Kansas State University are calling for the resignation of long-time student newspaper adviser Ron Johnson, a man that they say has not done enough to promote coverage of diversity by the student-run paper.Johnson says he will not resign.

ARKANSAS -- A Benton County Circuit Court judge has ruled that a task force designed to revamp the University of Arkansas student government does not need to hold its meetings in public.

CALIFORNIA -- Occidental College administrators removed a student who hosts a shock jock-style radio show from the air after students filed sexual harassment complaints against him for comments he made on the show.The private college in Los Angeles notified Jason Antebi March 12 that he could no longer co-host Rant and Rave, a program featured on the student-run radio station, because at least two students filed sexual harassment complaints with the school.

PENNSYLVANIA -- Student journalists at two private Pennsylvania universities are under fire after publishing April Fool's Day editions that offended their readers. After a student newspaper at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh published its annual April Fool's Day edition, which included a cartoon depicting one character uttering a racial slur, university president Jared Cohon established a commission to review the content of the paper to determine whether the school should take disciplinary action against the newspaper staff.Each year The Tartan publishes a spoof edition called The Natrat on April 1.