In June, Gov. Rick Perry signed a state homeland security law that seals records pertaining to state-funded security systems. The specifications, operating procedures and locations of cameras are now confidential in an effort to protect both private and public property from an act of terrorism.
Tag: Fall 2003
Fighting the zoning of free speech
College administrators argue that “free-speech zones” are necessary in order to protect students from being disrupted on their way to class by demonstrators.
Paper sues Harvard police
The Harvard Crimson claimed that because Harvard police officers have official law enforcement authority including the power to arrest people off campus, they should be bound by the Massachusetts Public Records Law.
Hold that thought
When two student newspapers this spring covered the hiring and firing practices of their colleges, administrators ordered a review of the papers' content because they said they were concerned about accuracy in reporting.
Crime under wraps
Although federal law permits the disclosure of records of the outcome of disciplinary proceedings when a student is found responsible for behavior that would constitute a violent crimes or a nonforcible sex offense, many college say they would rather maintain the students’ confidentiality. Others said they were either compelled or restricted from releasing the records under state law, but many of those schools were in agreement over their concern for students’ privacy.
Evaluating decisions
Student editors and administrators clashed over the decision to publish “controversial” material at two colleges last spring, raising a debate over whether or not school officials can enforce their definitions of ethical guidelines on campus newspapers.
Tenn. law forces public colleges to release judicial records
Student journalists who attend public colleges and universities in Tennessee are now entitled to more information about violent crimes and sex offenses committed by their peers, following the passage of a law signed in May by Gov. Phil Bredesen.
Koala editors under investigation for anti-Islam edition
A satirical newspaper at the University of California at San Diego could lose funding because of itsJune edition, which portrayed the religious and cultural practices of Muslims in a sexual manner.
Tips for covering crime
What you need to know before your paper gears up to cover the disciplinary process at your college or university.
Filmmaker contests subpoena for tapes
The New Jersey Attorney General issued a subpoena to a recent graduate of Rowan University in July, ordering him to hand over the unedited footage of a documentary he shot about death row inmate Robert O. Marshall.