Kansas State University, Censorship and the First Amendment

[dave () farber net]

___

Dave Farber  +1 412 726 9889



...... Forwarded Message .......
From: Gerry Faulhaber <gerry-faulhaber () mchsi com>
To: dave () farber net
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 16:20:12 -0400
Subj: Re: [IP] Kansas State University, Censorship and the First Amendment

For IP, if you wish

The post from KSU's Student Press Law Center contains no reference to KSU's
position other than as characterized by the Law Center, but it would appear
that KSU removed the "newspaper adviser" because they didn't think the job
they were doing was very good, in terms of producing a high-quality
newspaper.  I certainly can't make a judgment about whether or not this
editorial/advisory staff was upholding the quality standards of the paper,
but if they were not, then this seems to me to be sufficient grounds for
dismissal (by KSU or whichever authority has dismissal rights).  The First
Amendment shouldn't protect people who can't do their job.  Wrapping
yourself in 1A to escape accountability for poor job performance (if this is
what happened, and past awards are not evidence to the contrary) really
stinks.

Professor Gerald R. Faulhaber
Business and Public Policy Dept.
Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <dave () farber net>
To: <ip () v2 listbox com>
Sent: Thursday, July 29, 2004 1:27 PM
Subject: [IP] Kansas State University, Censorship and the First Amendment


> ___
>
> Dave Farber  +1 412 726 9889
>
>
>
> ...... Forwarded Message .......
> From: "Sean C. Sheridan" <scs () CampusClients com>
> To: dave () farber net
> Date: Thu, 22 Jul 2004 10:37:35 -0400
> Subj: Kansas State University, Censorship and the First Amendment
>
> Dave,
>
>
> This comes from a list I subscribe to:
>
>
> Dear Friends:
>
> As you'll see from the release below, the Student Press Law Center is
> gravely concerned about the situation at Kansas State University.  In
> May, university officials removed a newspaper adviser citing concerns
> about the content of the publication. Now, in federal court, the school
> has argued that the First Amendment allows the government to punish a
> publication over concerns about "general quality."  (Mind you, the
> Kansas State Collegian is consistently a national award winner.)
>
> We need your help in persuading the administration at Kansas State to
> drop this outlandish argument before a legal precedent is set.  College
> Media Advisers Inc. has already issued an official censure over the
> matter. You can voice your concern by contacting the president of Kansas
> State University at the address below.
>
> Jon Wefald, President
> Kansas State University
> 110 Anderson
> Manhattan, KS 66506
> 785/532-6221
> pres () ksu edu
>
> Please contact the SPLC if you have any questions.
>
> Mark Goodman
> Executive Director
> Student Press Law Center
>
>
>
> PRESS RELEASE: SPLC condemns Kansas State's 'bizarre' interpretation of
> First Amendment
> July 21, 2004
>
> --For Immediate Release--
> In a statement issued today, the Student Press Law Center condemned the
> position taken by officials at Kansas State University in their legal
> battle against student journalists over press freedom. SPLC Executive
> Director Mark Goodman described the university's position as
> "unprecedented, bizarre and offensive to the First Amendment."
> ...
>
> Go to: http://www.splc.org/newsflash.asp?id=854 to read the full release
> and statement.
>
>
> ___________________________
> Mark Goodman, Executive Director
> Student Press Law Center
> 1815 N. Fort Myer Drive, Suite 900
> Arlington, VA  22209-1817
>
> Phone: (703) 807-1904
> E-mail: director () splc org
> Web site: www.splc.org
> ___________________________
>
>
>
> -- 
> Sean C. Sheridan
> http://www.CampusClients.com
>
> Campus Party, Inc.
> 201 Spring Garden Street
> Philadelphia, PA 19123
> (215) 320-1810
>
>
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