EDITORIAL – College journalists need free speech

In 1988, the Supreme Court ruled that a high school student newspaper was subject to whatever… In 1988, the Supreme Court ruled that a high school student newspaper was subject to whatever censorship the school administrators deemed necessary. The ruling cited a number of reasons that, though frustrating to many high school journalists, are nonetheless logically sound.

Students do not have a choice about which high school they enroll in, nor do they get to choose whether or not they will attend school; everyone is supposed to go to high school, therefore, everyone must be made to feel comfortable on school grounds. High school faculty, the case found, take on a custodial role and have a vested interest in protecting their students from potentially offensive viewpoints.

College is a different story. Students choose to attend school and where they will go. They voluntarily write a check to their chosen university, essentially acting as customers purchasing a higher education.

Just this week, the Supreme Court refused to hear the case of Hosty vs. Carter, essentially implying that the customer is not always right.

The lawsuit involves student journalists in Illinois who published articles critical of their school’s administration in the school newspaper. School officials demanded the right to review all copy before it was printed, and the students sued one of the deans in the name of their First Amendment rights.

A lower court ruled that the dean could not be held responsible for attempting to regulate the paper; the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the case seems to indicate that it agrees with this verdict.

Some say that this will not encourage universities to more closely monitor their students’ publications, in part because universities that take the initiative to watch over their publications also assume liability should they print something lawsuit-worthy.

Still, Hosty sets a dangerous precedent.

In a collegiate setting, criticism and free speech serve a purpose. A university should be interested in hearing the grievances of its students – its customers. A student newspaper can be sued for libel just as easily as a regular newspaper; there are already penalties in place for irresponsible student journalists. Any university trying to edit its newspaper, then, is likely only acting to protect its own public image.

Universities should also expose their students to differing viewpoints; by relegating a student newspaper to the role of University cheerleader, a school effectively squashes one of the main forums of campus dissent and silences one of the few voices objectively looking at university policy.

Moreover, a campus should present students with varied opinions. Most college students aren’t minors; they do not need sheltering from potentially upsetting ideas. College students, like other adults, have the right to free speech – no matter if that speech is juvenile, critical or contrary.