Free speech group urges Penn State to apologize for removing newspapers, newsstands

A free speech advocacy group says Penn State University should publicly apologize to its student newspaper staff for removing dozens of newsstands and newspapers from campus over what the school has called a violation of advertising rules.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) says it is “gravely concerned” about what it views as a trampling of First Amendment free press rights, which extend to collegiate publications like the Daily Collegian. Some of the newsstands removed carried paid advertising for Vice President Kamala Harris and for voter registration.

FIRE sent a letter to Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi. The organization on Monday shared a copy with TribLive.

“FIRE is gravely concerned by Penn State’s sudden and indefensible removal of newspapers and newsstands belonging to the Daily Collegian, an independent, student-run publication that has served as Penn State’s primary student newspaper for more than a century,” wrote Dominic Coletti, program officer for campus rights advocacy for FIRE. “By retaliating against the Collegian over the content of its advertising, Penn State flagrantly violated its First Amendment obligations.

“Furthermore, this effort to close off a critical revenue stream for the Collegian after stripping the paper of university funding presents an assault on press freedom, a liberty Penn State is bound to uphold. Penn State must publicly assure the Collegian that this will not happen again,” the letter dated Friday added.

On Sept. 18, Penn State removed 35 newsstands from campus buildings that contained the Collegian because nine of them displayed political ads above the newspaper rack itself: three for Harris and six promoting voter registration.

Penn State administrators say the posters violated rules about advertising and use of facilities on campus. It asserted to Collegian staff that it and not the newspaper own space above the racks where the 11 by 17-inch advertisements were located, said Wayne Lowman, the Collegian’s general manager.

“The display and distribution of the paper version of the Daily Collegian is permitted, as the university understands the importance of a free news and information source specifically for its students,” read a statement shared by spokeswoman Lisa Powers after the incident. “However, the Collegian’s use of advertising space within university buildings is in violation of AD27 Commercial Sales Activities at University Locations and AD02 Non-University Groups Using University Facilities.”

The Daily Collegian, though, called the removal without prior notice an attack on free speech. “I just think it was overreach,” said Lowman.

The newspapers removed were from the previous week, and he could not estimate how many were taken. Paid advertisements have become increasingly important to the Collegian as direct support in the university’s budget has been cut.

The racks, owned by the newspaper, were returned but without some of the contents. It interfered with the new week’s distribution of papers, FIRE asserted.

“The university also failed to return hundreds of copies of the stolen newspapers,” the letter continued. “And while administrators removed some of the ads that allegedly violated university policy, including all the ads supporting Kamala Harris, it left two advertisements for NextGen America, a voter registration non-profit, in newsstands.”

The elimination of Collegian support in Penn State’s budget came as the university has worked to eliminate a budget deficit. It has noted a tradition of providing other forms of support for the newspaper, including facilities on campus.

“The First Amendment requires Penn State to respect the freedom of the press,” the letter stated. “Here, the university did not just fail to uphold this freedom but wantonly trampled it. Given the irreversible harm that has already occurred in this case, we must respectfully insist that Penn State issue an unequivocal, public apology to the Collegian and affirm that it will ensure its administrators do not engage in publication theft or other forms of press censorship in the future.”