{"id":137155,"date":"2023-11-11T00:07:39","date_gmt":"2023-11-11T05:07:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/?p=137155"},"modified":"2023-11-11T06:34:17","modified_gmt":"2023-11-11T11:34:17","slug":"ashland-u-drops-prior-review-of-newspaper-following-demand-letters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/ashland-u-drops-prior-review-of-newspaper-following-demand-letters\/","title":{"rendered":"Ashland U. drops \u2018prior review\u2019 of newspaper following demand letters"},"content":{"rendered":"

Free speech group says student newspaper independence is a persistent problem<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The student newspaper at Ashland University won greater editorial control following the intervention of a national free speech group.<\/p>\n

University officials affirmed they would not require \u201cprior review\u201d of The Collegian<\/em> prior to publication and a faculty adviser would work with the students only to check over grammar and accuracy.<\/p>\n

The controversy at the private Christian Ohio university came after a former advisor, Ted Daniels, was allegedly fired for teaching his students to be aggressive journalists.<\/p>\n

The school terminated him \u201cbecause he encouraged student reporters to seek comment on campus news stories from Ashland administrators\u201d and to \u201cengage in investigative reporting,\u201d according to a letter the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression sent the university.<\/p>\n

\u201cAshland\u2019s dismissal of Daniels will also likely cast a chill on pedagogy at Ashland, as faculty will receive a message that teaching students pedagogically relevant material\u2014for journalism, sound reporting techniques\u2014may lead to dismissal,\u201d FIRE wrote in its initial letter<\/a> to Ashland\u2019s President Carlos Campo.<\/p>\n

Campo responded by saying he is in favor of investigated journalism but defended the need for prior review to ensure grammatical and punctuation accuracy in The Collegian<\/em>. The university also denies Daniels was terminated due to the student newspaper\u2019s approach to reporting.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere can be no place for prior review at a university committed to free expression,\u201d Rank wrote in FIRE\u2019s second letter<\/a> to Ashland. \u201cPrior review of independent student journalism and a culture of free speech simply cannot coexist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dean of Arts and Sciences Katherine Brown told The College Fix<\/em> that the students have editorial freedom. She made a separate statement to the campus newspaper affirming the newspaper\u2019s independence.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is through these opportunities for experiential learning that students can explore the importance of accuracy and balance in journalism that will be valuable skills in their professional lives,\u201d Brown told The Fix<\/em> via email. \u201cI encourage them to continue their pursuits with strategic interviews, research, fact-checking, and editorial balance.”<\/p>\n

Brown said that student reporters and editors \u201cdemonstrated that they have freedom of the press and have engaged in investigative reporting on a number of topics.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Fix<\/em> had contacted Amiel Jarstfer, the university\u2019s provost, along with Dean Brown, and asked if there was anything inaccurate or misleading about FIRE\u2019s initial report and if either planned to speak with The Collegian<\/em> editors to discuss how best to protect their independence.<\/p>\n

MORE:<\/strong> UNC student journalism school hosts student walkout for MLK day<\/a><\/p>\n

The pair also wrote<\/a> a letter to the editor on Sep. 20 which affirmed the newspaper\u2019s independence and made similar statements to what Brown told The Fix<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe encourage you to continue your pursuits of knowledge and truth with strategic interviews, research, fact-checking, and editorial balance,\u201d the pair wrote. \u201cThe Offices of the Provost and Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at Ashland University are committed to the principles of academic freedom and value the resulting dialogue.\u201d<\/p>\n

The author of the letters to Ashland, who is also an attorney with FIRE, told The Fix<\/em> via email why editorial independence is important.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout editorial freedom, student journalists cannot explore what it really means to be a journalist,\u201d Lindsie Rank said via email. \u201cThe press is often called the \u2018Fourth Estate\u2019 \u2014 that is, the fourth \u2018branch\u2019 of government \u2014 because the proper role of journalists is to be a watchdog over those in authority.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt a university, that means student journalists must be free to watch, criticize, and communicate the actions of administrators,\u201d Rank told The Fix<\/em>. \u201cWhen administrators usurp editorial control of student newspapers, they strip student journalists of the freedom to fulfill their role as campus watchdogs.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said the problem of editorial control is not confined to Ashland.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, it’s all too common,\u201d Rank told The Fix<\/em> via email. A 2020 survey from her group found \u201cmore than 60% of newspaper editors at public, four-year institutions had experienced at least one instance of administrative censorship in the year leading up to the survey.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdministrative overreach can take many forms \u2014 anything from demands for prior review like we saw at Ashland to retaliatory budget cuts to newspaper theft,\u201d Rank said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Collegian<\/em> had not previously been subject to prior review,\u201d Rank said. \u201cInstead, student editors had controlled the content of the paper, as it should be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s note:<\/strong> Collegian Managing Editor Katelyn Meeks is a reporter for<\/em> The College Fix.<\/p>\n

MORE:<\/strong> Student newspaper rewrites fat and trans story to appease activists<\/a><\/p>\n

IMAGE: Sklo Studio\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

\n