The Crimson White reported on Sept. 2 that 40 student media outlets and 15 student media editors from across the U.S. had endorsed an amicus brief filed in support of eight student plaintiffs formerly involved with Nineteen Fifty-Six and Alice magazine. Of the 15 student media editors, two of them hail from The Crimson White — editor-in-chief Emma Brandenburg and managing editor Max Krzeminski.
This is why we chose to endorse the brief.
According to The Legal Examiner, amicus briefs are submitted “in the petition stage of a case to attest that the court should hear it, as well as during the merit phase to support one side or the other.”
In May, Judge Edmund LaCour denied the eight plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction, with attorneys for the University arguing that the University did not discriminate based on the viewpoints established in Alice and Nineteen Fifty-Six. The district court held in part that both magazines were considered “government speech” — which means that both Alice and Nineteen Fifty-Six are outside any protection from the First Amendment.
To put it simply, the amicus brief — which is led by the Student Press Law Center and is supported by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, Associated Collegiate Press, College Media Association and the Society of Professional Journalists — emphasizes the importance of independent collegiate journalism not only on our campuses, but in our communities.
The amicus brief argues the following: “If a public university’s funding, branding and infrastructure are enough to convert student journalism into government speech, then every student newspaper at every public college in America is government speech. Every editorial a student writes, every investigation a student reporter pursues, every quote a student reporter gets from someone to capture different perspectives, and every opinion a student columnist expresses would belong not to the student but to the state.”
If that is the case, then we as the lead editors of The Crimson White believe it is absolutely necessary to endorse the amicus brief to maintain our editorial independence. Through The Crimson White’s 133 year history, our reporting has never been and never will be “government speech.” Any matter we choose to report on, whether that be campus-related or otherwise, has always been at the discretion of our entirely student-led staff.
The University’s Media Planning Board, which has jurisdiction over The Crimson White, and formerly Nineteen Fifty-Six and Alice magazines, serves the Office of Student Media and its publications through oversight, guidance and support.
To achieve this, their charter outlines provisions to safeguard our editorial freedom as student journalists, including freedom from censorship and advanced approval, but more importantly protection from suspension or removal due to “student, faculty, administrative or public disapproval of editorial policy and content.”
As the leaders of The Crimson White, we believe the Media Planning Board can and will protect us in our coverage of any and all topics. We did not sign this amicus brief on behalf of the entire staff of The Crimson White, but instead, as student media editors who, themselves, are concerned with the direction of press freedom everywhere.
That’s why we have endorsed this amicus brief, to stand alongside our fellow journalists at The University of Alabama and on college campuses across the nation.
The Crimson White’s coverage of the closure of Nineteen Fifty-Six and Alice magazines and ongoing legal matters has been and will remain neutral. This does not apply to any Our View columns written by The Crimson White’s Editorial Board.
With that being said, student press freedom was born in Alabama, and now, it is more necessary than ever to make sure it doesn’t end in Alabama as well.
Hence then, the article about letter from the editors why we chose to endorse a student press freedom amicus brief was published today ( ) and is available on The Crimson White ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Letter from the Editors .. Why we chose to endorse a student press freedom amicus brief )
Also on site :
- 1979 Maxine Nightingale Breakup Ballad, Written in One Hour, Ranked One of the Best Adult Contemporary Songs of All Time
- Walmart’s Farmhouse Baker’s Rack Makes a ‘Cute Coffee Station’ and Offers Extra Storage for Small Kitchens
- Martha Stewart’s 12-Piece Porcelain Dinnerware Set Looks Like Heirloom China and Is Perfect for Fall Hosting