A student reporter trying to do a routine story on how the school is helping students manage finals stress was turned away by secretary Dawn Truesdelle, who declined to give her name and said she couldn’t talk to students without the communication departments permission.
A handout given to a student reporter redirected him to contact the college’s communications department and communications director Stacey Toda to request a formal interview.
This little handout represents the college doubling down on their refusal to abide by student press rights.
Earlier this semester, the presence of a student reporter led to the cancellation of a planned parenthood workshop on domestic violence.
After that, two reporters from the Viking were told that student lounge staff was not allowed to talk to any student journalists.
Student reporters, like every other student at LBCC, are at this college to learn and refine the necessary skills for their respective field.
The continuous refusal to talk to reporters hinders journalism students’ ability to get their coursework done.
Not only that, if there is an administrator telling school staff that they are not allowed to talk to the press without prior approval, the college is actively violating the first amendment right to free speech.
If faculty at this campus do not feel comfortable talking to reporters, it is perfectly within their rights to say so and decline an interview.
However, this handout and previous comments made to the Viking make it seem like there are departments where staffers are told they cannot talk to the press at all.
This is a serious legal violation and raises the potential for the college to be sued if anyone took it to court.
There is no other department at LBCC that has its students continually prohibited from doing their work on campus.
The college’s concerted effort to stifle student press on campus follows a pattern across the nation of Trumpian rhetoric to silence the free press.
LBCC does not seem to have a vested interest in the success of its journalism department. In fact it seems to despise it.
It is counterintuitive for the college to offer journalism and fund a student-run newspaper while actively going against it.
Why is the college scared of reporters covering routine stories on campus?
What is so secretive about these public events and workshops that are “open to all” yet have event organizers turn away student reporters and even tell other attendees they cannot talk to the press?