Student journalists fight Trump’s anti-speech deportations
It’s not every day a student newspaper takes on the federal government. But that’s exactly what The Stanford Daily is doing.
Backed by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, the Daily sued Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem in August over the Trump administration’s push to deport foreign students for exercising free speech, like writing op-eds and attending protests. The suit argues the administration’s actions violate the First Amendment by retaliating against foreign students for protected speech and chill press freedom by discouraging them from speaking to and writing for the Daily.
We spoke at the start of Stanford University’s fall term with Greta Reich, editor-in-chief of the Daily and president of Stanford Daily Publishing Corp., which operates the paper, about why the Daily is fighting back, even as many corporate media outlets stay silent or capitulate.
Why did The Stanford Daily decide to take this issue to court?
We decided to take this issue to court because we believe legal action would be best for the Daily. Our mission as an independent student paper is to represent the voices of the Stanford community. We cannot fulfill this mission to the fullest extent when a significant portion of students on our campus and in our newsroom are afraid to speak up. The decision ultimately came down to whether or not we felt we could handle the potential negative ramifications of a public suit against the government in order to stay true to our mission. We decided that we could, and we’re hoping for the best outcome.
What happens to your reporting when international students are afraid to talk to your reporters, or when staff quit or avoid covering certain stories because they’re worried about government retaliation?
As we said in our letter from the editors on the lawsuit, fear of government retaliation directly impacts the quality of the Daily’s work.
With every resignation, declined assignment, and refusal to speak on the record, we actively miss out on covering an entire group of students’ voices — as well as the many events and stories on campus that benefit from an international student’s perspective. We are simply not able to conduct our business when speech is chilled like this.
Journalism, and especially student journalism, depends on members of a community not only being able to speak on the record but actively wanting to, at least at times. When an entire subsection of the student population doesn’t feel comfortable speaking with or writing for the Daily, we can’t know what stories are being lost.
When an entire subsection of the student population doesn’t feel comfortable speaking with or writing for the Daily, we can’t know what stories are being lost.
Greta Reich, editor-in-chief of The Stanford Daily
How have people on campus responded to the lawsuit so far?
We only returned to campus this week, so I don’t think I’ve seen every reaction yet, but so far the biggest response has been curiosity. Many of my peers, both in and outside of the Daily, have questions about how the lawsuit is going.
In speaking more in depth with some students throughout the summer and hearing feedback on various social platforms, I know there is a somewhat mixed reaction, though I think it skews positive. Some students, understandably, are concerned about the attention the suit will draw to Stanford as a university. Others have expressed excitement about action being taken to protect First Amendment rights.
I hope that as the suit progresses, students, alumni, faculty, and community members will feel comfortable sharing any opinion with us — we want to hear what people have to say!
How does it feel to stand up for the First Amendment as student journalists when some in corporate media are utterly failing to do so?
It feels great! As student journalists, we definitely face a different set of obstacles and constraints than those in corporate media do. I think that, in a way, these different constraints give us the freedom to take actions like these (though it would be exciting to see more publications taking action too). I am incredibly grateful for all of the support I’ve received from professional journalists and mentors in corporate media, who have reached out with kind words for the Daily. It is not taken for granted one bit.
What outcome are you hoping for, both in terms of the law, but also inspiring student journalists or impacting the national conversation about press freedom?
In terms of the law, we are obviously hoping for the lawsuit to create a real change in how noncitizens are treated with respect to the First Amendment. Whether working for or speaking to our newspaper, no one should fear deportation for what they have to say. In any scenario, I hope those who hear about this lawsuit consider what it means to have a free press and why fear tactics like those the government is currently using have such an impact on it. A central tenet of my education at Stanford has been to form and express my thoughts and opinions with agility. The ability to state these thoughts and opinions publicly is not only being threatened but actively taken away.
And to other student journalists: I am constantly inspired by you and your work, and I hope you are getting through this year with support and engagement from your staff and readers.