Rep. Katie Stuart Backs SIUE Student Newspaper in Free Speech Dispute

EDWARDSVILLE — State Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, released the following statement supporting The Alestle, the student newspaper at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and its student journalists:

“Over the last few months, tensions have risen between student journalists and their institution’s administration over disagreements on what topic can or cannot be approached in The Alestle— a student-run newspaper that is operated by funds generated from student fees. Student journalists’ work is crucial when analyzing a university’s function or understanding the youth’s perspective of a current event.

“Everyone in the United States is covered by the First Amendment, offering us the freedoms of speech and press. In Illinois, we have additional protections specifically for our student journalists. The College Campus Press Act states that campus media is not subject to prior review by public officials of those institutions. I supported an effort this spring to strengthen these protections, and House Bill 4420 will go into effect on January 1. The only exception would be if the content is unconstitutional or harmful, and neither is the case for the student journalists of The Alestle.

“I stand with the students and staff behind The Alestle in their commitment to free press and free speech, and refusing to be silenced. I sincerely hope they are allowed to return to their high-quality and extremely important journalistic duties, without unjust institutional oversight and censorship.”

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