Recently, student newspapers at Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) and University of Texas-Dallas (UT Dallas) have had issues regarding freedom of the press and it concerns us at the Equinox to see these occurrences.
The Penn State student newspaper, The Collegian, had all of its newsstands and publications removed by the university on Sept. 18, 2024, over political ads posted on the stands. Penn State stated in a press release it did not intend to impede public access to the Collegian; merely it took issue with the political ads on the stands. However, Penn State had been cutting their funding to the Collegian in recent years, culminating this year with no contribution to the publication.
UT Dallas’ publication, The Mercury, also had problems with freedom of the press rights.
The Mercury’s advisor had Editor-In-Chief Gregorio Olivares Gutierrez removed from the staff for alleged infringement of bylaws; however, the Mercury Staff does not feel the same way. The staff felt it was retaliatory, as the paper had published an extremely critical editorial on the university’s handling of a pro-Palestine student protest. In response, The Mercury has gone on strike and is threatening moving to total independence from UT Dallas if Olivares is not reinstated as editor-in-chief.
Whether the issue be controversial content or the political ads a publication displays, there should not be this kind of reaction from a public college or university. It is a complete overreaction and overreach of authority for reactions like these. The argument that political ads were the issue in the case of The Collegian seems flimsy at best, and in both situations, the administration of these schools have the ability to reach out the publications yet did not take that route. Reaching out to the publications could have avoided all of the bad press which comes with making these decisions; we would not even be talking about this now. Yet, there is this desire to strongarm the media into making more friendly content, when the powers at be feel they are on the losing end of the bargain.
The Equinox fears the attacks on freedom of the press are struggles for power and control over narratives of these student publications, flailing as authority does when it feels it is losing grasp on power. Which is a shame, as student newspapers, like any other publication, should have the right to their freedom of speech, giving students an unfiltered and unadulterated outlet to voice their opinions and concerns and to report on those stories they feel are most newsworthy and important.
If Penn State and UT Dallas do not like what student publications are promoting or printing then the response should be more reserved and diplomatic. Protecting freedom of the press rights is far more important than lashing out with petty acts. Had Penn State and UT Dallas taken a more diplomatic approach, all of the bad press could have been avoided, but unfortunately the powers that be tend to forget the optics their actions can have.
