PROTESTS/ FREE PRESS

sfcc.shyla.jensen@gmail.com U.S. COLLEGE PROTESTING

Ashley Jacobson COMMUNICATOR

Protest is one of the rights given to U.S. citizens in the first amendment, but it remains a controversial topic. The last year alone has had truly historic examples of nationwide protest that have been cause for debate across the political board. Among many questions that have arisen, the standout ones seem to be: where do we draw the line between a protest and a riot? And why do these kids care so dang much?

To answer the second question: this isn’t the first time youth have turned out in droves for matters of national importance. And not just in general “youth”—college students in particular have been historically vocal about the prominent issues of the times, from voting rights to sitins at convenience stores.

The Vietnam War was a major issue across college campuses, where not only did many students disagree both with the circumstances of the war and with the use of chemical warfare, it was also men of this age who were going to be forced to fight.

“The May 1970 antiwar strikes became one of the largest coordinated sequences of disruptive protests in American history, with walkouts spreading across more than 883 campuses involving more than a million students,” wrote Amanda Miller in the article May 1970 Student Antiwar Strikes, which was written for the Mapping American Social Movements Project at UW. “Student protests were further galvanized when National Guardsmen opened fire on protesting students at Kent State University on May 4, injuring nine and killing four. The nationwide strike that ensued was, in many ways, the peak of the student antiwar movement.”

So how far is too far? The right to protest in and of itself isn’t dangerous or unruly. Its original intent was to ensure that citizens had a means of holding the government accountable. But even disruptive, yet nonviolent protesting gets a bad rap—sure, you can stand in the street, but not if you’re blocking my car! For some people, the line is drawn here. Others may be quick to dismiss the protests they disagree

Two protests in the past year were called riots by opposing sides. After the death of George Floyd, people turned out in droves to protest the unlawful killing of a black man by a police officer. While the initial crowd was sincere in both its mourning and intent, it is unclear what exactly incited the violence that took place there. There were many eyewitness accounts that conflicted, and many people claimed plainclothes police were among the crowd and encouraging violence. There were many videos taken showing people destroying property, and also police firing rubber bullets into crowds.

“How George Floyd’s death ignited a racial reckoning that shows no signs of slowing down,” read the headline of a CNN article written on August 9, 2020.

“Rioting, looting linked to George Floyd protests leaves trail of destruction across American cities,” read the headline of a Fox News article on June 1, 2020.

This illustrates the vast difference in how two sides of the political spectrum view these events.

In January, protesters showed up in Washington D.C. to protest what they claimed was manipulation of votes during the 2020 election, which meant that former President Trump

ILLUSTRATION | Ashley Jacobson

would no longer be in office. There is video evidence of the mass of people breaking into the Capitol building and calling for former Vice President Mike Pence’s head.

“Weekend protests at state capitols stayed small amid heavy police presence,” read a CNN headline on Jan. 17. By Jan. 18th, CNN is describing these events as an attack and insurrection.

“US police weigh officer discipline after rally, Capitol riot,” read a Fox News headline on January 24th, two weeks after their last article about this event.

OPINIONS

IMPORTANCE OF STUDENT PRESS

Marisa West COMMUNICATOR

Journalists cover everything from current news and political effects on the world to entertainment events and celebrities lives. Student journalists cover similar topics. Current news and entertainment is high on the list of stories but just like local papers, a college newspaper keeps the stories they report on as locally focused as possible. “Press freedom is a noble idea, but in reality it’s a threat- a threat to shady politicians, crooked corporations, military censors and bungling bureaucrats,” Tim Harrower said in his book, Inside Reporting.

As journalists have reported on the news through the years, readers have contested what is written, sometimes to a point of legal action. There are laws that protect journalists and newspapers during reporting. Information with credible sources are fact checked before published, however, sometimes a newspaper may need a little help.

The Student Press Law Center (SPLC) is available for college and high school papers to help requests for state and local records as well as provides information about press rights. Virtual lawyers are available to speak with for advice and questions.

“The SPLC uses the law to help students of all ages meaningfully participate in civic life and learn essential skills, ethics, and values through the vehicle of journalism,” its website states.

“The nonprofit Student Press Law Center provides free legal help to high school and college student journalists and their advisers on all sorts of media law issues, including censorship, libel, copyright law and access to public information,” Mike Hiestand, Senior Legal Counsel at Student Press Law Center, said. ”We often work with students as they are putting together stories on sensitive topics and offer suggestions for tightening up their journalism and sometimes referrals to local media law attorneys where necessary.” Laws are in place to help journalists use their First Amendment rights and inform the public of current events. Most conflicts lie in when a reader doesn’t agree with what is written in the article. Arguments, lawsuits, and protests can come about when a large amount of people disagree.

The First Amendment protects the right of free speech and expression, so expressing thoughts and feelings are protected from legal action. When disagreements are vocalized against a small college publication is when the SPLC steps in to help.

However, learning about a topic or a viewpoint that you disagree with is more beneficial than most think. When the information that is consumed is only in agreement with what you already believe, the way of thinking stays the same. It doesn’t have the chance to evolve with the new information. Your mind gets stuck in a viewpoint of just one side of the world’s story.

In the instance of only learning about the same point of view as the parents and teachers that taught you, it feeds into a spiral of never learning what you believe without outside influence. One way that teens and young adults have separated themselves from what they were taught is through college. College is complete with encountering new events and knowledge and learning how to understand and encounter uncomfortable ideas.

The importance of being at college is to learn something new, experience life, and to form your own opinion. This is done through the process of encountering different people with differences of opinions, whether you agree or disagree. Although a lot is through courses and textbooks, another resource of learning about new things and viewpoints is through the college newspaper. Having a school paper that is protected to share different points of view helps expand the minds of the students that read it everyday.