BY JOHN K. WILSON

I have written a new study about freedom of the press on campus that has been released today, a product of my 2019–20 fellowship with the University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement.

The study includes a survey of policies for professional media at the top twenty-five American universities, finding that many colleges require permission for any journalists to be on campus. The study also exposes numerous threats to student media on campus, including administrative censorship, firing of media advisors, defunding of student publications, trashing of newspapers, defamation lawsuits, and restrictions on social media.

The study includes nine recommendations for colleges to adopt policies and practices that will help expand and protect freedom of the press:

POLICY RECOMMENDATION #1: Colleges should reject restrictive media policies requiring permission for the press to be on campus, Colleges should use Washington University’s policy as a model for protecting freedom of the press.  

POLICY RECOMMENDATION #2: Colleges should explicitly state that they do not use escorts or minders, unless the media specifically request such assistance. 

POLICY RECOMMENDATION #3: Colleges should adopt the exact language of the Student Press Law Center as their formal statement of intent for a campus student media policy. 

POLICY RECOMMENDATION #4: Colleges should voluntarily adopt the New Voices language as media policies for their institution. 

POLICY RECOMMENDATION #5: Colleges should have explicit policies prohibiting prior review or restraint of student publications, and protecting media advisors against retaliatory acts. 

POLICY RECOMMENDATION #6: Colleges should adopt policies to ensure adequate funding for student publications and to prevent retaliation against student journalists. When student media are part of the formal curriculum, colleges should make sure student journalists control the publication. 

POLICY RECOMMENDATION #7: Colleges should inform students and staff that stealing “free” newspapers is a crime and also punishable under campus discipline.  

POLICY RECOMMENDATION #8: Colleges should not regulate defamation in campus conduct codes, and should help students and student publications when they are subjected to defamation lawsuits for reporting misconduct or reporting the news. 

POLICY RECOMMENDATION #9: College social media policies should defend free expression and prohibit censorship by stating that social media is evaluated the same as all other forms of expression, rejecting the need for disclaimers on personal social media, and protecting the rights of all students, faculty, and staff to use social media.

I will be part of a National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement conversation with student journalist Sydney Charles, Student Press Law Center Staff Attorney Sommer Ingram Dean, and Advocacy Director at the Committee to Protect Journalists Courtney Radsch on “The State of Press Freedom on Campus and Around the World” held on Thursday, July 30 at 2pm ET.