What we're about to write may soon be censored by University administrators.
Thanks to a recent ruling in the Hosty v. Carter case by the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday, censorship of college media is a new danger to freedom of the press and freedom of speech.
The court decided after three years of debate that the Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier decision of 1988 now extends to college media. Hazelwood allows high school administrators to censor the content of their school's publications for several reasons, including pulling content that casts the school in a bad light.
The ruling in this case is a scary concept and a devastating blow to college students.
According to a report put out by the Student Press Law Center, the decision could allow censorship of school speakers or drama productions that are deemed too controversial.
The result is that any school-sponsored activity could be reviewed and eventually controlled by administrators.
Imagine what would happen if administrators censored stories we wrote on them getting raises, or on tuition increases, or on drinking statistics on campus? Our job as journalists is to inform our readers of pressing issues, and when censorship gets in the way of freedom of the press, the guidelines that surround ethical journalism become blurred.
At a university where students have free reign of their publication, it would be unimaginable to be told by the administration that one of our stories was too controversial to print. We would be expected to continue doing our jobs on a daily basis with the threat that our paper - our thoughts, our expressions and our voice could be withheld.
The college newspaper, once an open forum and a tool for students to voice their opinions and exchange free thought, may now become a mere puppet for college administration offices across the country.
But censorship as a routine practice seems to be the direction we are going in, and not everyone thinks this is detrimental. A recent study by the University of Connecticut found 32 percent of high school students think the press in America has too much freedom to do what it wants. Students seem to be taking the stripping of their rights lying down.
At some college papers, editors are required to run their publications by an advisor before it goes to the printer. Even so-called independent college papers often have printing presses that are owned by their universities - meaning if administrators didn't like what was being published, they could potentially take away their printing abilities. And this is only the beginning. Imagine what will happen at these schools now.
At the Daily Lobo, what we print isn't ever approved by anyone other than us - but because of the Hosty v. Carter decision, this could change.
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The stakes are high right now, but students should not give up on their right to the First Amendment. Continual pressure on top administrators to back freedom of speech will let them know we are aware and aren't happy with the court's decision.
Support freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Without it, you may not be able to read something like this in the future.
Rivkela Brodsky
Editor in chief
Jessica Del Curto
Managing editor
