Censored by school administration? Start your own Web site
Kudos to journalism students at Quinnipiac University for standing against a heavy-handed administration by leaving the school paper and starting their own independent news Web site, the Quad News, as reported through SPJ member news this week.
Here's what the students were up against, according to FIRE's The Torch: Quinnipiac President John Lahey had prohibited the student paper, the Quinnipiac Chronicle, from posting news online before the print publication came out. The president had required all media to go through the university PR office if they wanted to interview anyone. The administration also threatened to fire the student editor after he questioned the online policies, and told the public that student leaders (such as the editor) are "expected to generally be supportive of university policies." The administration also took over final hiring decisions of the newspaper's leadership. Ironically, and sadly, the masthead of the Quinnipiac Chronicle states that it is "The independent student newspaper at Quinnpiac University." Lahey is out of touch with the reality of today's media, the basic principles of American democracy, and is damaging these students' education. Unfortunately, this sort of totalitarian anti-American attitude toward free speech and the press is all too common among university leaders, particularly at private universities. They just don't get it.
But here's the good news. Twenty students withdrew their applications to work at the paper and instead started up their own news Web site with the help from the Connecticut chapter of SPJ. The Web site looks great, and it's actually covering news important to the student body. The mouthpiece paper of the university leads with puff features about professor awards. The Quad News instead leads with its report from the Democratic National Convention, a story about the university's overcrowded rec center, and the continuation of road construction on campus. Contrasting the content of both Web sites really shows how the threat of censorship and retribution impacts news the public receives. If you are a high school or college journalist working under an oppressive administration, contact your local SPJ chapter and see if you can start your own independent Web site to do good journalism, not school public relations.