While the Chicago State University student newspaper, the Tempo, is back on newsstands this week, the controversy surrounding censorship of the paper is far from over. In 2008, the University helped to restart a student paper after the Universities accreditation agency criticized the school for not having a student media outlet. But, as the paper became more critical of the University, administrators moved to exercise more control over the content of the paper.
The University hired Steven Moore to restart and advise the paper in 2008. Once students started writing articles that were highly critical of the University administration, the administration started leaning on Moore to force the students to curb the criticism. After he refused, Patricia Arnold from the public relations department of the University demanded that the paper’s staff advisory board be able to review and approve the content of the paper before publishing. Moore refused and was fired. Ultimately, two advisors later, the current advisor pulled the plug on production of the paper prompting a lawsuit from the students and original editor.
What’s particularly absurd about the University’s actions here is that roughly one year ago, the Illinois legislature passed the “College Campus Press Act” into law—expressly prohibiting prior review of student controlled publications. Regardless of where the idea to restart the paper came from, or its funding by student activity fees, the student editors of the publication should be allowed to control its content.