Every week, Student Press Law Center attorneys answer a frequently asked question about student media law in “Legal Question of the Week.” Q: What exactly is censorship? A: Anytime someone who works for the school prevents or attempts to prevent you from publishing content in your student publication, you’re dealing with censorship. On the college level,… Continue reading What exactly is censorship?
UPDATE: No criminal charges are being filed after 13 newsstands were emptied at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. On Feb. 26, 2020, members of VCU's Student Government Association were seen trashing copies of The Commonwealth Times that included an article detailing ongoing conflicts within SGA. According to a statement by the VCU Police Department, detectives… Continue reading No criminal charges filed after VCU student government members trashed 875 copies of The Commonwealth Times
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 5, 2020 Contact: Diana Mitsu Klos, director of engagement (202) 728-7267/ dmk@splc.org The Student Press Law Center joins Foundation for Individual Rights in Education in calling for Virginia Commonwealth University’s Student Government Association to rectify a newspaper theft and recommit to upholding student journalists' First Amendment rights. Addressed to SGA President Breanna… Continue reading NEWS RELEASE: The Student Press Law Center demands remedial actions for stolen issues of Virginia Commonwealth University’s student newspaper
UPDATE: Dylan Lepore, editor-in-chief of The Tartan, wrote a letter to Radford University President Brian Hemphill on Student Press Freedom Day voicing his disapproval for how the university handled its investigation into the theft of 1,000 newspapers in fall 2019. Lepore criticized Radford police's decision not to charge the employee found responsible for stealing several racks… Continue reading “How long are we going to wait?” Editor-in-Chief criticizes Radford’s newspaper theft investigation
Editor’s Note: If you’ve experienced a newspaper theft this year, or if one ever occurs in the future, email Danielle Dieterich at ddieterich@splc.org to report it. At least 8,500 copies of student newspapers at colleges in the United States were reported stolen, trashed or destroyed in 2019. In November alone, thefts were reported at County… Continue reading Newspaper theft in 2019: 8,500+ issues stolen, trashed in 13 incidents
OHIO — A campus police officer has been fired after being caught on tape trashing issues of The Chimes student newspaper at Capital University, a private university just outside of Columbus. Surveillance footage showed Capital Public Safety Officer Ryan George removing a stack of the Oct. 24 issue of the Chimes from a newsstand outside… Continue reading Campus police officer in Ohio fired after trashing student newspapers
FLORIDA — Kristen Grau walked by a University Press newspaper stand and knew something wasn’t right. Every copy was gone, even the display piece. In the trash bin only feet from the stand, Grau found the newspapers under only a few pieces of garbage. The cover story of this particular issue includes a detailed account… Continue reading FAU student newspapers detailing alleged rape by quarterback found in trash
As the academic year wound down, college news organizations in San Francisco and Buffalo, N.Y. reported their papers were trashed in an effort to conceal controversial stories. An estimated 2,100 copies of the Golden Gate XPress, San Francisco State University’s student newspaper were stolen on May 15. And at the University at Buffalo in New… Continue reading Newspapers thrown away at two universities following publication of controversial articles
Admissions staffers weren’t happy with the front page story run by the University of Massachusetts-Boston’s student newspaper, the Mass Media, during a welcome day earlier this month. The newspaper had reported about a hazmat scare in the dorms that led to a resident being taken to the hospital on a stretcher. Admissions staff, concerned about… Continue reading Admissions staff conceal copies of student newspapers after front page story about hazmat incident
COLORADO — About 1,000 copies of the Rocky Mountain Collegian went missing April 9, and fingers are being pointed at a team running for student leadership who were the subject of a critical article published the day before the thefts. The Collegian ran a story in its Monday edition that examined campaign spending discrepancies by… Continue reading In the midst of a student body presidential campaign, police are investigating trashed student newspapers
