Democratic Underground Latest Greatest Lobby Journals Search Options Help Login
Google

Curbing Speech at Quinnipiac

Printer-friendly format Printer-friendly format
Printer-friendly format Email this thread to a friend
Printer-friendly format Bookmark this thread
Home » Discuss » Topic Forums » Civil Liberties Donate to DU
 
groovedaddy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Oct-29-08 11:04 AM
Original message
Curbing Speech at Quinnipiac
People who follow politics know Quinnipiac University as the home of the polling institute that bears its name. But lately it has been making a name for itself — a bad name — for a different reason.

The university has gone to unusual lengths this semester to try to curb the activities of student journalists who are running an independent, online newspaper that is affiliated with the school and called Quad News. Students began the upstart newspaper over frustration with the administration’s attempts to control the official student newspaper, a common enough conflict between students and university officials.

But Quinnipiac’s reaction was anything but ordinary. First, the university tried to stonewall student attempts to report stories by imposing a gag order on administrators, coaches and athletes. Then last month, the institution, in writing, threatened to ban from campus the student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, a nationwide media advocacy group of working journalists that includes about 200 student chapters.

Apparently the university became irate when an information booth for the professional journalists’ group on campus included a sign-up sheet inviting students to become involved with Quad News. The university sent a letter to Jaclyn Hirsch, the student president of Quinnipiac’s chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, threatening to kick the group off campus if it continued any “interactions or endorsements” with Quad News. That’s a difficult task, considering that many student reporters, including Ms. Hirsch, are members of the group.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/29/opinion/29wed3.html?th&emc=th
Refresh | 0 Recommendations Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

Home » Discuss » Topic Forums » Civil Liberties Donate to DU

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators


Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.

Home  |  Discussion Forums  |  Journals |  Store  |  Donate

About DU  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy

Got a message for Democratic Underground? Click here to send us a message.

© 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC