Advocates for college press freedom are on edge. Is the sky falling or will it be business as usual when students return to campus this fall?
The June ruling by the U.S.
College grants paper control over content
The policy specifies that the Communicator staff has control over the newspaper, and the college is released from any liability relating to the paper's content.
For college media, summer of 2005 full of challenges
Both of these cases are continuing. The two former editors of the Kansas State Collegian are appealing the decision in their case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. And the student plaintiffs in the Hosty case are petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to consider their claims as well. Both of these cases may ultimately have a very different outcome.
Former shock jock sues college for pulling him off the airwaves
Antebi sued the college for violating his rights in March under a California statue that protects free expression at private schools, a year after he was fired from his radio show and censured for sexual harassment over his on-air comments.
Censored h.s. columnist loses court fight
Former Novato High School student Andrew Smith's editorials on immigration and reverse discrimination were not protected speech, the trial court judge ruled on March 14.
U.S. Court upholds right to distribute anonymously
Officials at the University of Texas at Austin are debating whether to appeal a federal appeals court ruling that allows students to distribute pamphlets anonymously on campus, a spokesman for the Texas Attorney General's Office said.
Swimming pools, movie stars … and censorship
The claim of public disclosure of private facts is based on a Nov. 10, 2004, article printed by the student-produced Harvard-Westlake Chronicle, 'Students' online comments lead to FBI investigation.' The article named the minor Caplin and the school that he transferred to after the Web comments were posted.
Newspaper not bound by court order
The free press rights of student newspapers at private colleges have been upheld after a New York state trial court recognized that private university student newspapers are separate from their universities.
Articles about homosexuality spark censorship of newspaper
East Bakersfield Principal John Gibson viewed the spread intended to run in the April issue of the Kernal the night before it was to sent to the printer. The next day the student editors were called in to speak with school officials, who convinced them to run the spread without revealing the identities of the gay and transgendered students who had been interviewed for the piece. Later that night Gibson ordered the entire piece removed out of what he described as a concern for the safety of the students in the article, Kernal adviser Randy Hamm said.
Appeals court extends Hazelwood to colleges
College newspaper advisers, journalists and experts say they are approaching the Hosty v. Carter court case with a mixture of apprehension, caution and a resolve to protect the free press rights of college journalists, after a federal appeals court ruling against student journalists that could allow college officials to censor school-sponsored publications.
The 7-4 decision, handed down by an en banc panel of the U.S.