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VMI administrators bully student newspaper over unflattering coverage

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Since bringing Virginia Military Institute鈥檚 independent student newspaper, , back to life in spring 2021, editors have marched on despite opposition and pressure from VMI鈥檚 administration every step of the way. 果冻传媒app官方鈥檚 Student Press Freedom Initiative accordingly expressed support for the student journalists in a recent letter urging the institution to cease its attempts to undermine the publication鈥檚 independence.
Cadet editors have directed 果冻传媒app官方鈥檚 attention to a series of troubles stemming from the paper鈥檚 relationship with VMI leadership over the course of the past year. VMI leadership has told Cadet editors they must submit to administrative guidance to receive campus resources, interfered with the paper鈥檚 distribution on multiple occasions, and even pressured editors to change the paper鈥檚 tone.
With a history stretching back over a century-and-a-half, The Cadet is a fixture of VMI鈥檚 community. Originally founded in 1871 as a magazine, The Cadet shifted to an independent student newspaper in 1907 and has operated as one since. But due to issues with the VMI administration, the paper ceased publication from 2016 until spring of 2021, when a fresh group of students and alumni worked together to revive it as a nonprofit with no official affiliation with VMI. Student editors make all of the paper鈥檚 content and editorial decisions, in line with its history of editorial independence.
But the Cadet鈥檚 return has not been without challenges.
VMI maintains that the institution will not support the paper should its editors continue to work with alumni and professional journalists as mentors鈥搈entorship that has traditionally been part of the paper鈥檚 operations.
VMI lacks authority to make any decision on behalf of The Cadet. VMI also lacks the authority to penalize Cadet editors for those decisions.
VMI Commandant Col. Adrian Bogart went so far as to ask editors during a July 2021 meeting not to publish anything that conflicts with prior reporting on the school鈥檚 history with sexual assault and racism. Bogart also expressed general disapproval of the paper鈥檚 content.
In a similar incident, Col. Bill Wyatt, VMI director of communications and marketing, took issue with about the campus counseling center. In an email to former Cadet editor-in-chief James Mansfield, Wyatt pressured the paper to publish an op-ed he wrote defending the college and correcting alleged mistakes in the paper鈥檚 reporting. Wyatt suggested the reporters acted unethically, even invoking a recent suicide at another Virginia university to pressure The Cadet to publish VMI鈥檚 statement.
This pattern of administrative pressure prompted FIREto write VMI on Sept. 21, calling for the college鈥檚 leadership to respect the editor鈥檚 rights to control the paper鈥檚 content and organizational structure, and to grant Cadet editors accommodations commensurate with those of other student groups.
As 果冻传媒app官方鈥檚 Student Press Freedom Initiative explained in our letter to VMI:
The influence VMI has exerted over The Cadet with regard to its distribution, content, and operations reflects a serious intrusion on the newspaper鈥檚 independence. While [the] administration has stated its intention is not to control the content of The Cadet, the current pattern of unconstitutional overreach into the paper鈥檚 dealings demonstrates otherwise.
Independent student newspapers like The Cadet retain complete editorial independence and authority to make decisions over the paper鈥檚 content, structure, and operations. As we wrote in our letter:
[T]he Institute鈥檚 support for forums for student expression鈥攕uch as an independent student newspaper鈥攄oes not allow VMI to make decisions on behalf of student leaders within such forums. Accordingly, VMI鈥檚 role vis-脿-vis independent student publications is limited to one of support rather than one of authority.
Simply stated, VMI lacks authority to make any decision on behalf of The Cadet. VMI also lacks the authority to penalize Cadet editors for those decisions.
While the VMI administration has failed to support The Cadet, the paper has supporters in high places within the Virginia state government. The Virginia House and Senate jointly passed a in March commending the paper, stating that independent papers like The Cadet 鈥渨here students have complete editorial control of content separate from influence or control are essential voices of independent free speech.鈥 In April, Glenn Youngkin, Virginia governor and VMI Commander-In-Chief, wrote to The Cadet it on its 115th anniversary, stating, 鈥淭he Commonwealth is proud that cadets, since establishment, maintain total editorial control of The Cadet鈥檚 contents, as they publish 鈥榯he voice of the Corps.鈥欌
When asked about his experiences with the paper, former editor-in-chief Mansfield wrote, 鈥淧eople say that VMI is an awful place to be at but an awfully great place to be from. My experience with the VMI administration and the VMI family made this patently clear. As soon as folks realized the paper was being restarted it seemed like the entire VMI family reached out with their support . . . Ironically the only resistance we experienced was from the current administration.鈥
Despite the troubles editors have faced over the last year, co-editor-in-chief Russell Crouch remains optimistic. 鈥淭he Cadet was the voice of the Corps and I鈥檓 glad to be a part of bringing that back. Restarting the paper has led to some difficulties . . . but I have a strong feeling that by working closely with Cadet leadership and 果冻传媒app官方, we can climb the ladder and reestablish ourselves within the school system.鈥
We call on VMI鈥檚 administrators to stop interfering with the paper鈥檚 operations.
Patrick Sexton, Cadet co-editor-in-chief, said that despite the paper鈥檚 troubles with the administration, he wants to move on from them.鈥淭he situation we find ourselves in is not one we wish to stay in, so we look forward to joining forces with FIREto reconcile and build our relationship with the administration and Commandant鈥檚 Staff.鈥
We hope that VMI leadership will come around to the views of its students, alumni, and state of Virginia to embrace The Cadet and its longstanding legacy on campus. Until then, we call on VMI鈥檚 administrators to stop interfering with the paper鈥檚 operations.
FIRE defends the rights of students and faculty members 鈥 no matter their views 鈥 at public and private universities and colleges in the United States. If you are a student or a faculty member facing investigation or punishment for your speech, . If you鈥檙e a college journalist facing censorship or a media law question, call the Student Press Freedom Initiative 24-hour hotline at 717-734-SPFI (7734).
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