Censors Run Wild at Kansas State

By Shawn Healy

Last year's Hosty v. Carter decision in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals struck a blow to student press rights at the collegiate level. It applied the Hazelwood high school predecent to college newspapers, enabling administrative censorship prior to publication for legitimate pedagogical reasons. The impact of this decision is limited to the three-state region of Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, but a recent case in the 10th Circuit presents another challenge.

A current case considers the dismissal of a Kansas State newspaper advisor after administrators conducted a content analysis of the Collegian. Finding the quality "overall lacking," advisor Ron Johnson lost his job and the student editors proceeded to file suit, claiming a violation of their First Amendment rights. This decision could have far-reaching implications for campus newspapers, especially if the verdict is appealed and accepted for review by the Supreme Court.

I tackled this issue in a journal article set to run in the April 2007 edition of Political Science and Politics, and promise to publish it here in complete form at that time. The bitter irony is that student press rights are increasingly restricted in an environment where they must learn the rigors of the evolving news industry. Restrictive measures shield students from the realities of the challenging landscape they will be ill-prepared to enter.