Posts Tagged ‘Foundation for Individual Rights in Education’

SUNY Oswego Journalism Student Threatened with Suspension Over Email to Hockey Coaches

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on November 12, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Officials at SUNY Oswego recently threatened an international journalism student with suspension and campus banishment over emails he sent to hockey coaches while working on a class assignment.

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The 30-second gist, according to Gawker and FIRE: Australian native Alex Myers currently studies journalism and works in the Office of Public Affairs at SUNY Oswego.  For a class assignment requiring “a feature on a public figure,” he selected the school’s hockey coach Ed Gosek.  As part of his info gathering legwork, he emailed the hockey coaches at Cornell University, Canisius College, and SUNY Cortland requesting their feedback on Gosek.

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The email contained two faux pas– one major and factual and the other more minor and stylistic.  First, Myers identified himself as a SUNY Oswego public affairs staffer, not a student.  Second, he urged the coaches, “Be as forthcoming as you like, what you say about Mr Gosek does not have to be positive.”

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The latter statement struck at least the Cornell coach as over the line.  As he wrote Myers, “My interactions with ed gosek have all been off ice as we are div 1.  He is one of the best guys in college hockey.  Your last line of saying your comments don’t need to be positive is offensive.”  Myers quickly apologized, claiming he simply wanted to be clear he was not out to pen a “puff piece.”

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As FIRE reported, “The next evening, Myers received a hand-delivered letter from SUNY Oswego President Deborah Stanley, informing him that he was being placed on interim suspension, effective [the next night], and that he would have to vacate his dorm room by that time. The letter also banned him from all campus facilities and informed him that he may be subject to arrest if he came on campus.”

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The charges: 1) Dishonesty re: ID’ing himself as a school employee, not a student.  As Gawker confirmed, “No question, he f*cked up there.”  2) Disruptive behavior.  FIRE: “Among the behaviors that merit this charge are ‘harassment,’ ‘intimidation,’ ‘threats,’ ‘conduct which inhibits the peace or safety of members of the college community,’ and ‘retaliation, harassment or coercion.’”

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My Take: First charge, check.  Second charge, huh?  Sending an email to some coaches asking for the goods– good and bad– on a peer is harassing, threatening, coercive or inhibiting others’ peace and safety?  As FIRE contends, “Alleging that Myers’ emails could possibly have constituted any of these not only violates the First Amendment, it sends a deeply chilling message to students. How safe can student speech at SUNY Oswego possibly be if any criticisms of faculty, staff, or fellow students find their way to the wrong administrator?”

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Fortunately, FIRE intervened, pointing out the egregiousness of the second charge and the overwrought suspension posturing.  The school lessened its final punishment, but is requiring Myers to write a piece “to share with other students in journalism classes . . . what you have learned from your experience.”

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The essay I would write, in 25 words: Be honest with all potential sources.  Watch how you word things.  And if school officials ever come after you at least somewhat unfairly, fight back.

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40 More Must-Follow Twitter Feeds for Journalism Students

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 22, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Certain sources sporting active Twitter feeds are especially valuable to journalism students.

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As I mentioned in the first part of this two-part list, some accounts provide resources, advice, and links to help students learn the craft.  Others enable students to keep up with what journalists are debating, enjoying, and attempting to understand on a daily basis.  And still others offer relevant news and blueprints for covering campus life and keeping up with higher education issues.

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Building off the accounts featured in part one– such as @NiemanLab and @SPLC– here is an additional set of must-follow Twitter feeds.  They are listed in alphabetical order.

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@acpress: Kept by staff at the Associated Collegiate Press, the largest and oldest U.S. student journalism membership organization.  More than 2,000 followers.

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@AEJMC: Kept by staff at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, “the oldest and largest alliance of journalism and mass communication educators and administrators at the college level.”  More than 4,800 followers.

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@atompkins: Kept by Al Tompkins, a beloved longtime broadcast journalist and senior faculty member at The Poynter Institute for Media Studies.  More than 7,100 followers.

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@bloghighed: Kept by staff at BlogHighEd, a blogger network aiming to “aggregate higher ed blogs from many areas: webmasters, marketers, counselors, vendors, consultants, and more.”  More than 4,900 followers.

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@bradwolverton: Kept by Brad Wolverton, a senior writer who covers college sports for The Chronicle of Higher Education, including the blog Players.  More than 2,000 followers.

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@carr2n: Kept by David Carr, a top media reporter, blogger, and columnist for The New York Times.  More than 389,000 followers.

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@CFashionista: Kept by staff at College Fashionista, “a college fashion site for those passionate about [the] latest fashion styles & trends across campuses worldwide.”  More than 10,000 followers.

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@charlesapple: Kept by Charles Apple, a longtime journalist and educator who maintains a popular visual journalism blog aligned with the American Copy Editors Society.  More than 3,500 followers.

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@chronicle: Kept by staff at The Chronicle of Higher Education, “the leading news source for higher education.”  More than 52,000 followers.

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@CJR: Kept by staff at the Columbia Journalism Review, a leading journalism industry magazine which “tracks the ongoing evolution of the media business.”  More than 19,000 followers.

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@CollegeFashion: Kept by staff at College Fashion, “the number-one online fashion, style & beauty magazine written by college students, for college students.”  More than 16,000 followers.

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@CollegeMag: Kept by staff at College Magazine, “the only uncensored source for everything college.”  More than 4,300 followers.

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@collegemedia: Kept by me, a complement to this blog. More than 2,300 followers.

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@collegeprobs: Kept by Madeline Huerta, as part of College Problems, a popular blog featuring humorous user-submitted complaints and confessions about college life.  More than 20,000 followers.

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@danieldevise: Kept by Washington Post higher education reporter Daniel de Vise, in part a complement to his blog Campus, Inc., which focuses on “campus life from a business perspective.”  More than 2,900 followers.

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@DiverseIssues: Kept by staff at the newsmagazine Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, the “premier news source for higher education and diversity issues.”  More than 2,700 followers.

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@Deggans: Kept by Eric Deggans, the television and media critic for the Tampa Bay Times who maintains the popular blog The Feed.  More than 6,900 followers.

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@ErikWemple: Kept by Erik Wemple, a Washington Post “editor-turned-blogger who’s obsessed with the media issues of the day.”  More than 4,600 followers.

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@FakeAPStylebook: A popular stream of comedic and satirical advice for journalists.  More than 299,000 followers.

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@hackcollege: Kept by staff at HackCollege, an acclaimed “student-powered lifehacking site” sporting the motto “Work smarter, not harder.”  More than 4,500 followers.

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@HerCampus: Kept by staff at Her Campus, “the #1 national online community for college women, covering style, health, love, life, and career, with chapters at 200+ colleges.”  More than 11,000 followers.

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@HuffPostCollege: Kept by staff at HuffPost College, the section of the Huffington Post behemoth focused on “breaking news from U.S. colleges and universities . . . campus life, college costs, collegiate sports, and university scandals.”  More than 39,000 followers.

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@insidehighered: Kept by staff at Inside Higher Ed, “the online source for news, opinion, and jobs for all of higher education.”  More than 39,000 followers.

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@IRE_NICAR: Kept by staff at Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc., “a grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of investigative reporting.”  More than 5,000 followers.

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@ivygate: Kept by staff at IvyGate, a leading “news, gossip, and commentary blog that covers the Ivy League.”  More than 4,200 followers.

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@jackshafer: Kept by Jack Shafer, a highly-respected Reuters columnist who covers politics and the media.  More than 30,000 followers.

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@Journojobs: Regular updates on “the latest, highest paying journalism jobs in the U.S.”  More than 3,700 followers.

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@JustinPopeAP: Kept by Justin Pope, a national higher education reporter for The Associated Press.  More than 1,600 followers.

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@macloo: Kept by Mindy McAdams, an online journalism professor at the University of Florida respected for “[a]lways doing some kind of journalism training (multimedia, social media, online), somewhere in the world.”  More than 6,800 followers.

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@mbmarklein: Kept by Mary Beth Marklein, a veteran higher education reporter at USA TODAY who covers “college admissions, college graduation, and pretty much everything in between.”  More than 3,000 followers.

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@NanetteAsimov: Kept by Nanette Asimov, a higher education reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle.  More than 3,000 followers.

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@nextgenjournal: Kept by staff at NextGen Journal, the only national news and commentary outlet by students for students, branded as “the platform for our generation.”  More than 2,200 followers.

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@nytimescollege: Kept by New York Times senior editor and author Jacques Steinberg, affiliated with his top college admissions and financial aid blog The Choice.  More than 7,500 followers.

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@RCFP: Kept by staff at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, “a nonprofit association dedicated to providing free legal assistance to journalists.”  More than 2,100 followers.

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@robcurley: Kept by Rob Curley, a highly-regarded “new media journalist, manager, and strategist” who serves as an editor at The Orange County Register.  More than 1,800 followers.

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@SPJGenerationJ: Kept by staff at the Society of Professional Journalists, as part of its initiative Generation J, “the place where future newsroom leaders can collaborate to build newsrooms of the future.”  More than 700 followers.

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@TheFIREorg: Kept by staff at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, “the premier organization defending free speech, due process, and academic freedom on college campuses.”  More than 5,500 followers.

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@webjournalist: Kept by Robert Hernandez, “one of the few true veterans of web journalism” and an assistant professor within the University of Southern of California’s School of Communication and Journalism.  More than 9,000 followers.

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@wiredcampus: Kept by four Chronicle of Higher Education staffers as a complement to the popular blog Wired Campus, which tracks “the latest news on tech and education.”  More than 8,500 followers.

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@wpjenna: Kept by Washington Post higher education reporter Jenna Johnson, in part a complement to her Campus Overload blog, which provides “a syllabus for navigating the high-powered campus social scene.”  More than 12,000 followers.

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Related

20 Must-Follow Twitter Feeds for Student Journalists

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Student Media, Student Leaders, Faculty and Alums Protest Ithaca’s Restrictive New Media Policy

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on October 17, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

The student government, student media, and a healthy sampling of faculty, staff, and alumni at New York’s Ithaca College are protesting a restrictive media policy recently enacted by administrators.

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Late last month, Ithaca president Tom Rochon informed the campus newspaper, magazine, and broadcast outlets that student staffers are now required “to route requests for interviews with administrators through the college’s office of media relations.”  Specifically, if reporters want to speak with top school officials about anything involving “college policies and developments,” they must make first contact and get permission to proceed from a single media relations rep.

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According to The Ithacan, Rochon announced this new policy without any warning or opportunity for discussion.  There are 84 administrators on the no-direct-contact list.  (Yes, they made an actual list.)  Its aim, from an administrative perspective, is to “curb a ‘tendency [among student reporters] to rely too much on just a few people’ which . . . distracts them from their ‘actual jobs.’”

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The Ithacan disputes Rochon’s assertion that administrators are in any way burdened with direct interview requests.  In an editorial response, the paper notes the policy speaks more to a tendency Rochon has for “controlling messages as well as a tendency to act without first gauging the college climate.”

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As top eds. write, “The Rochon administration is becoming increasingly characterized by centralization and a corporate atmosphere. Students, faculty and staff should fight to keep Ithaca College the open and personal community that has made it so appealing in the past.”

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Separately, Ithaca’s student government passed a resolution calling for the policy’s repeal (screenshot below).  In a letter to the Ithacan addressed to Rochon, two top SG reps note, “It is the opinion of the Senate that this policy, while not necessarily malicious in intent, gives the administration an unnecessary level of authority over student publications at the college. Student publications serve, as they do outside of higher education, as a watch-dog of administrative policies. By limiting access to the 84 top members of the college’s administration, the institution effectively places a gate keeper between themselves and students, allowing the college to ‘sit’ on a story that it sees as potentially damaging.”

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In addition, roughly 70 faculty members across disciplines signed an open letter of concern about the policy.  Its introduction states, “As we see it, this policy has implications beyond the merely procedural. It bureaucratizes and centralizes a process that should remain free and open by allowing students to approach whomever they want. Identifying their sources and interviewing many different people is how students learn to be good journalists. Besides, an administrator is always free to decline the request for an interview or to suggest another person.”

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The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education is also against the policy.  Legislative and policy director Joseph Cohn explains, “Policies like this one, therefore, threaten the very notion of a free press and defeat the principles embodied in the First Amendment. . . . Ithaca College’s policy is too broad to accomplish the administration’s stated purpose and jeopardizes the independence and integrity of the school’s press.”

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Updated: Student Press May Face Prior Approval at NEIU

Posted in College Media, Free Press Fights, Journalism, Student Newspaper, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on December 21, 2008 | 2 Comments »

College Media Matters joins College Freedom, FIRE, and Chicago Reader in questioning and decrying the proposed free speech and free press restrictions currently under consideration at Northeastern Illinois University.  The most disheartening part of the regulations for press lovers: a planned prior approval scheme encompassing all print newspapers and pamphlets appearing on campus.

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As John K. Wilson writes for College Freedom:

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NEIU officials propose to demand that any pamphlet or newspaper to be distributed on campus must receive their prior approval. The Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled for many decades that the notion of government “prior review” and “prior restraint” of publications is totally anathema to the notion of a free press. . . . By a strict reading of these rules, the student newspaper (and even official flyers from the administration) would have to wait a week until after it is published to be distributed.

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In an e-mail to CMM, Wilson graciously outlined the relevant parts of the document. The most troublesome portion, he pointed out: Page 3, C(1): “Students, faculty, and staff wishing to express themselves through demonstrations or events involving distribution/display of visual communications. . . . must first complete a reservations request form  . . . [and] must submit a a copy of all visual communications to be utilized.” On page 1, the distribution and display of visual communications is defined as “posting and/or handing out, signs, posters, flyers, newsletters, newspapers, photographs, and similar items.”

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As Wilson explains:

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It’s a little tricky unless you understand that the university considers the act of handing out a newspaper or a flyer to someone to be an “event.”  It’s not clear how the university defines leaving a pile of newspapers for people to take, if that’s posting or handing out or something else. But it’s very specific in covering newspapers and restricting the act of handing them out to people.

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It is nearing the year 2009.  NEIU administrators top New Year’s resolution should be: Respect students’ free press rights.  After all, the name of the student newspaper at the school is The Independent!

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