Training, Not Punishment
A Statement from Black College Wire on the Suspension of The Gramblinite
Administrators at Grambling University chose to suspend, then un-suspend, publication of The Gramblinite because of allegations of plagiarism, errors and the general "poor quality" of the paper.
The action of shutting down a student publication at a public university is serious and dangerous. First Amendment issues aside, silencing the student press for any length of time is an act of punishment against the entire student body. At many institutions, including Grambling, students pay fees to receive the paper, and they rely upon it for news and information. The school paper is an important means of communication.
However, accuracy and ethics are critical and must be addressed through training and education, not punitive edicts and recrimination.
It appears that the administrators now realize this and plan to seek out practicing journalists to come in as visiting professors to work with Gramblinite students. But the administration has taken a step backward by requiring the newspaper adviser to review the paper before it goes to press. This is a violation of the students' First Amendment rights. The administrators should visit the Student Press Law Center's Web site to learn about the rights of collegiate journalists and advisers, particularly those at public institutions such as Grambling.
"A Manual for Student Media Advisers on Responding to Censorship" is available at the SPLC site and addresses many of these issues. While the students may need to hone their editing skills, the Grambling administrators need training on student press law.
Administrators, faculty, student leaders and the newspaper staff should work together to construct an ongoing process to ensure improvement of the paper while upholding the rights of the staff and the adviser.
Even at professional newspapers, quality suffers when newsrooms are short-staffed and underfunded. In college newsrooms, staff members are often seen working late hours in cramped quarters on outdated equipment. The students who take on these responsibilities often sacrifice grades, social life and outside jobs because of their passion for reporting the news. They are to be admired and encouraged, not discouraged and humiliated.
The Gramblinite has a strong history of producing first-rate journalists, including some who are now leaders in the profession. This is an opportunity for them to "give back" to their institution by offering to help.
It is also an opportunity for local journalists and members of national organizations to help not only Grambling's newspaper staff, but student journalists at numerous colleges and universities.
This incident is not unique. Every time an attempt at censorship occurs, it serves to enlighten and educate. Bottom line, that's what college is all about.
This is an official statement from Black College Wire. To comment, e-mail bcwire@hotmail.com
Posted Jan. 26, 2007
Posted By: Jehan Bunch
Wednesday, January 31st 2007 at 10:20AM
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