Staff Editorial

Penn State removed the newsstands for its student-run newspaper, The Daily Collegian last week.

Three of the 35 racks, located inside campus buildings, were running ads for Kamala Harris. Six were running voter registration ads. This, according to the university, was a violation of advertising policy.

The Collegian’s general manager claims that they were not notified about the plan to remove the racks by the university.

Out of their actions arose the questions: Why remove all of the racks if only a few violated the policy? And why remove the racks at all when the only problem was the posters on those select few racks?

In last week’s staff editorial we told you about The Duke’s resumed coverage of the Student Government Association on campus. We gave an explanation for our hiatus in covering SGA activities — an attempt at prior restraint made by the SGA preceding our release of their budget.

Student newspapers provide a vital service to the student body. We keep students informed on the issues happening on and around campus. We ensure that student voices are heard by their peers and by the school that they give so much to.

The editorial independence of papers like ours allows us to report on issues that directly affect you. Last year we ran an article reporting on the sale of expired food on campus. We also ran a story on an elevator in Brottier Hall which dropped eight floors with students inside. These critical stories would not have been published if The Duke did not have the editorial independence that we do.

In 2012, Ithaca College’s media relations policy restricted how student journalists could reach out to school administrators. The college stipulated that “student media outlets seeking interviews with college administrators must submit all interview requests through the Ithaca College of Media Relations. The policy encompasses 84 administrators, including school deans, student services faculty, financial and admissions personnel, and — of course —President [Tom] Rochon.” The policy was repealed a month later when students correctly pointed out that the college would use this policy to hand-pick favorable sources for student media to cover.

More recently, in 2018, Loyola University Chicago released a “Media Relations Policy,” which required faculty and staff to request approval from public relations staff for statements to the media. The policy limited student journalists’ ability to report on important issues affecting the student body. This policy was also repealed months after its implementation due to internal and external pressure.

Student newspapers require freedom to effectively report on the issues important to students. We’ve seen what can happen when university administrations restrict student media’s ability to report on important issues, and we know that our duty is to serve as a voice for the students on this campus.