The Viking News’ co-editor in chief was served with a disciplinary letter falsely accusing her of threatening behavior after reporting on the ASB elections and its lack of transparency, an action that displays a clear violation of the rights of student journalists.
It is ludicrous to suggest that the mere act of seeking clarity from LBCC employees can result in reprimand and potential suspension.
Paloma Maciel received the disciplinary report after weeks of reporting and seeking answers to why the student body election results were invalidated, who was involved in the decision-making process and why students were given little public explanation surrounding the invalidation.
The report falsely states what happened on May 8, suggesting that Maciel was at the doorway preventing a staff member from leaving their office. However, it states that the staff member “sought shelter in another office while assistance was requested to have you leave.”
If Maciel, a bookish honors student who stands 5 feet tall, was blocking the door, how did the staff member flee to another room before Maciel was asked to leave?
Maciel said that she was never explicitly asked to leave by the staff member, but left once she was told by another staff member.
How does asking a staff member to comment on the ASB elections make them feel “unsafe” and as if they need to seek “shelter” and assistance?
According to LBCC’s laws for Student News Media, student reporters have the right to question people freely.
The rights read, “College news media are valuable aids in establishing and maintaining an atmosphere of free and responsible discussion. College news media shall exercise editorial freedom in order to maintain their integrity as vehicles for free inquiry and free expression in the college community.”
When journalists ask difficult questions and investigate administrators’ and employees’ decisions, they are participating in one of democracy’s most essential foundations.
Attempts to intimidate, silence, or punish student journalists for doing their job are a direct attack against free speech.
History has repeatedly shown that authoritarianism does not begin with grand deliberations but rather with suppression of criticism, the intimidation of reporters and the silencing of those who question authority. Student journalists are not exempt from these dangers simply because they are covering campus issues.
Unsettlingly, Long Beach City College has formed a habit of obstructive actions that have violated student press rights on campus.
In February of last year, three employees running an “Affirmation and Poetry” event at LBCC said they were directed by Dean of Student Affairs Deborah Miller-Calvert to tell guest speakers and staff members not to answer questions from the student press and instead to direct the reporters to the college’s PR representative, Stacey Toda, for a comment.
By not being able to answer simple questions from the press, especially when the subjects aren’t controversial, it creates an assumption that staff should be wary of student reporters, insinuating that they have harmful intent.
Later in October of that same year, during a domestic violence workshop, a Planned Parenthood employee canceled their presentation due to being uncomfortable with the presence of the press, even though students were looking forward to the workshop.
Article 1 Section 1 of the California Constitution states, “Every person may freely speak, write and publish his or her sentiments on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of this right. A law may not restrain or abridge liberty of speech or press.”
Unfortunately, the actions of staff and administration reflect poorly on the college and replicate a pattern of restricting student press rights, which is an affront to constitutional protections that have long defended student expression in America.
Mike Hiestand, senior legal counsel for the Student Press Law Center, finds this censorship short changing to our readers, affirming that student journalists hold the same rights as professional reporters to ask questions, cover stories and seek comments. He stressed that vague school conduct rules cannot be selectively used to punish reporters.
The risk of constant censorship violates not just the student press rights but also harms the educational value of student journalists at LBCC.
The protection of these rights is critical for the development of an informed community and for student journalists to learn the professional skills to comment on issues that influence their own student body government and other bodies of law that impact them.
By threatening disciplinary action for asking questions about campus elections, it sets a precedent that students are not allowed to question faculty, staff or administrators about campus processes, even the ones that they participate in and that directly affect them.
We demand that the college carefully consider the broader implications this situation may have on transparency, the trust that reporters have with the college and the freedoms of the student press.
Student journalists should be able to investigate and report on matters on campus without fear that routine reporting efforts will be interpreted as misconduct.
We also demand that President Mike Munoz meet with the editorial board to discuss ways in which he can ensure that Viking News reporters will not be met with student conduct letters to intimidate them from reporting on campus issues.
Furthermore, we urge Munoz to work closely with the executive editors, section editors and reporters to create proper training for all staff members of Long Beach City College to ensure they know that they can’t kick out reporters from public events, and to educate staff properly of student press rights.
Enforcing these trainings will ensure that these constitutional rights are upheld and that reporters are treated with respect, not like disturbances.
He should enforce this training and make sure everyone fully understands press rights rather than just sending an email.
Finally, we demand that a procedure be put into place that prevents staff from making up lies about students, and that punitive action is enforced against those who file false reports.
