Many of you are probably wondering why we haven’t done much reporting on the recent protests on campus.
Before we do, we have to talk about freedom of speech. It’s commonly understood to mean “I can say whatever I want,” but as journalists, we know better. Although the First Amendment to the Constitution states, “Congress shall make no law…abridging freedom of speech,” the U.S. Supreme Court makes exceptions for certain types of speech that do not hold constitutional protections.
There has been a targeted campaign against the Women’s and Gender Studies Program on campus, calling for its elimination and firing a faculty member. We have reason to be wary of repeating any potentially defamatory statements because we could be legally pursued for publishing libel.
According to Cornell Legal Information Institute, libel is:
“any communication embodied in physical form that is injurious to a person’s reputation; exposes a person to public hatred, contempt or ridicule; or injures a person in their business or profession.”
We at The Chanticleer do everything in our power to be truthful and fair in our reporting.
Until we get irrefutable proof of the truth, we will not be publishing or repeating any claims.
Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences.