The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks,
The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and
spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."
Freedom of speech for college journalists is now in question after a federal appeals court decided to reconsider an April ruling that granted college journalists greater free-speech rights than high school journalists.
Two editors and a staff member of the Governors State University's student newspaper, The Innovator, sued former Dean of Affairs Patricia A. Carter after she told the newspaper's printer that a university official had to approve the content of the newspaper before it could be printed.
In an April ruling, a three-judge panel of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a 1988 Supreme Court decision, Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier, that gave high school administrators the right to closely censor student publications did not apply to student newspapers at public colleges.
"I think that college students are more mature," said Mike Lawrence, associate director of the Public Policy Institute at SIUC, "and should be given greater freedom of speech rights than high school students."
Earlier this week, the full court granted a motion by Governors State University to throw out the decision. All of the judges will now hear the case.
"It is difficult to predict what a court will decide," Lawrence said. "However, I would hope that the court would come down in favor of college reporters."
With advocates for college journalism up in arms about the future of freedom of speech, Lawrence does not see SIU as being in immediate danger of censorship by the administration.
"The administration has been reasonable and supportive of free student press," Lawrence said. "I don't see that changing unless we get different administrators with different viewpoints than the present or past administrators."
