The detention of a Tufts University student might force changes in student media policies
When schools and colleges resume after the summer break, the campus newspaper editors and advisers will have a conundrum on their hands: whether to censor editorials and columns criticizing their administrators and the government. This predicament stems from the detention of Tufts University doctoral student Rumeysa Öztürk by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials on March 25.
The Turkish native, who is on a student visa, was on her way to her friend’s house on March 25 when ICE officials, wearing masks, swooped over her from a street in Somerville, Massachusetts, resembling a scene from Bourne movies. She was released from detention on May 10 following a court order.
What’s Öztürk’s sin?
She co-wrote an opinion piece for the university’s campus publication, The Tufts Daily, slamming the university president Sunil Kumar for not implementing three resolutions passed by the student union.
Related Knowledge Center: Free speech and public protest
The First Amendment is facing challenging times: Crackdowns on campus protests prompted both-sides claims of intolerance. Attempts to head off dangerous health misinformation have been characterized as violations of free speech. Donald Trump is publicly punishing news outlets that deviate from his administration’s version of events while privately suing some outlets into submission.
The White House vs. the press | Voiceless America
Related Knowledge Center: Local media
The hollowing out of the local news ecosystem has been well documented; in some communities, efforts are underway to reverse the growing news desert.