Journalists covering violent unrest on college campuses in the US have been arrested and barred access as police crackdown on pro-Palestinian protesters demanding universities divest from Israel. Student-run news outlets and traditional media have been involved, with some student journalists also being assaulted during clashes on campuses. In some cases, access to campuses has been restricted to students only, making student journalists the primary sources of news on the protests and clashes.
At Columbia University and UCLA, student journalists reported being attacked and gassed while covering violent clashes between protesters on campus. The Daily Bruin at UCLA published a scathing editorial criticizing the school’s leadership for not protecting the student journalists. Classes at UCLA were canceled due to the violence that took place overnight. At California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, journalists were detained, including a TV news reporter who was arrested while filming the protests.
At Columbia University, journalists were blocked from entering campus as police cleared a building occupied by pro-Palestinian protesters. Columbia Journalism School students were unable to witness the events, with one student saying that more journalists could have provided a better understanding of what unfolded. Despite the challenges, student journalists at Columbia and UCLA showed resilience in reporting on the campus protests.
Public interest in the clashes led to some student-run news outlets facing challenges with staying online amid a surge in audience traffic. School newspapers and radio stations experienced intermittent outages as they provided live coverage of the events on campus. Despite the difficulties, student journalists gained valuable reporting experience and provided critical transparency to the public during the protests and clashes.
Student journalists have a unique and essential role in observing and disseminating news on their campuses during crises like these. Organizations like the Student Press Law Center are disturbed by reports of student journalists under threat and assault on campuses and call for school officials and law enforcement to ensure student journalists can report safely and accurately. Student journalists at Columbia and UCLA were commended for their reporting on the campus protests, with the dean of Columbia Journalism School praising their work in covering the national news story.
