Several weeks ago, Web Editor Leo Kerz informed The Scarlet about collegiate newspaper censorship that got me fired up enough to reply “I smell an editorial.” Of course, the entirety of Clark University’s student body has been sitting at attention ever since, anxiously awaiting this article’s release. Channel 5 News is actually outside my apartment right now begging on hands and knees for my comment. Or at least that’s what the black mold in JSC is telling me.

This is a tale of two universities: Norwich University, a military university in Northfield, Vt, and Pennsylvania State University in Philadelphia. But these schools have major implications for the future of student journalism.

Norwich University administrators suspended its student newspaper, The Guidon, for the entirety of the fall 2024 semester. According to local publication VTDigger, administrators claimed that students were “unprepared for the challenges and responsibilities of reporting,” and that they were “not satisfied with the degree of academic rigor” in the organization. Patronizing much? 

It turns out that in the Spring 2024 semester, student reporters investigated a series of sexual assault claims, including a Title IX lawsuit filed by a former University employee, that Norwich’s administration was sweeping under the rug. The Guidon called out Norwich University administration for a “lack of transparency” regarding at least two sexual assault allegations that occurred on campus during the 2023-2024 academic year. Then the paper was suspended. Coincidence? Yeah, okay. Sure. 

The Penn State situation is a bit more nuanced. The Associated Press reports that PSU administrators removed newspaper display racks after pro-Kamala Harris advertisements were put on them. The papers themselves had no advertisements printed on them, but they were taken away, too. Also, out of the 35 racks that were removed, only three displayed advertisements for Harris. Six held nonpartisan voter registration ads. The others were bare. 

The newspaper, The Daily Collegian, claims they were not notified that the papers would be removed. The administration did tell the Collegian’s editor-in-chief that they “potentially” violated the student handbook. “Potentially” is a loaded word. Bigfoot could potentially be real. The sun could potentially blow up tomorrow. 

To make myself clear, student handbook violations are serious and should be treated as such. Student newspapers must operate according to their institution’s code of conduct (unless they are independent and therefore not beholden to its rules). But the Associated Press reports that PSU slashed the Collegian’s funding by 100 percent, then expected them to not run advertisements. You can’t run a newspaper without a budget, and expecting the Collegian to not run advertisements under those circumstances is absurd. 

Besides, love it or hate it, colleges need student journalists. Myself, Web Editor Leo Kerz, and former LArts Editor Nic Smith had the opportunity to attend the Nieman Journalism Conference at Harvard University last spring. During the first speech of the conference, the keynote speaker called us America’s future journalists. We heard from The Spelman Blueprint about how they completely rebuilt their publication after it was devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. We spoke to The Washington Square News at NYU regarding their coverage of the arrest of student protestors. Student journalists report on what is happening in their community. We help each other become published writers and put forth our best work. Joining a paper makes you part of something bigger than yourself. All of this is far more important than stoking administrators’ egos. 

Colleges newspapers, whether at PSU or Norwich University or anywhere else, are where student journalists learn their craft. This means making mistakes. It means making tough calls–and often getting it wrong. But college administrators looking to censor student criticism need to ask themselves if they want students to engage with their communities, take risks, and think critically. If not, America’s future journalists won’t be going into the field with four years of experience. They’ll be going in with zero.