This statement was originally made on Thursday, March 31, 2022. 

To our readers:

This afternoon, the Editorial Staff of The Scarlet removed an article from our website that had been published anonymously on March 22, called “My Experience With Mark Miller”. The piece had been filed under the Opinions section, and offered a student’s perspective regarding allegations against former Clark professor Mark Miller. 

On Tuesday, March 29, The Scarlet received a message from Clark University’s General Counsel. He informed us that Mr. Miller’s attorney had contacted him, and relayed that Mr. Miller found the article to be “defamatory”. Mr. Miller demanded that we retract the article. Clark’s General Counsel explained that if we did not comply with the demand, Mr. Miller may threaten to file a lawsuit against The Scarlet, or its editors. 

We view this as an act of intimidation of the press and a threat against students. Facing legal action, however, we have regretfully retracted the piece from our website, in compliance with Mr. Miller’s demand. Having spoken with Clark’s General Counsel, we believe this was the best course of action, because:

1. If we were taken to court over the article, the survivors may be forced to testify.
2. That court may request that the name of the anonymous writer be revealed. 
3. We cannot independently finance a legal battle.

Independence, accuracy, and integrity are primary goals of The Scarlet. The first of these was threatened this week. Moving forward, our commitment to the promotion and protection of the student voice at Clark University remains paramount. 

If you have any questions about this action, please contact The Scarlet at [email protected].

– The Scarlet Editorial Board