In recent months, the Office of Marketing and Communications at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), just down the road from WashU, has attempted yet again to intervene in the work of SIUE’s student newspaper, The Alestle. We support The Alestle as they stand against increasing oversight on their reporting from the SIUE administration.

In July, SIUE Director of Communications Nicole Franklin emailed The Alestle and their faculty supervisor that her presence during interviews on subjects related to university operations was “non-negotiable.” In another email exchange, The Alestle pushed back, emailing Franklin that she was “not invited” to Alestle interviews. Franklin forwarded this email to SIUE campus police and accused Editor-in-Chief Dylan Hembrough of harassment. The police later scrapped the investigation because it was clear that Hembrough’s refusal of Franklin’s presence at interviews did not amount to harassment. 

Hembrough published a story highlighting this administrative encroachment. In response, Paula Bridges, SIUE’s executive marketing director, sent a message to the SIUE student body denying that Franklin had obstructed interviews from taking place. But email records later released show that The Alestle article was accurate. 

Franklin’s assertion that she “reserves the right to sit in on all interviews involving the university and its operations” is an affront to the freedom of the press. 

If Franklin — an SIUE administrator in a position of power — mandates her presence at all interviews regarding the university’s operations, then anyone associated with the university might feel pressured to lighten their critiques of the administration. This would dampen The Alestle’s ability to report the most factual and newsworthy information to the SIUE community. Student Life allies with the Alestle as it fights this intervention.

The Alestle is not alone. Nationwide, freedom of the press is under threat. On Sept. 19, President Donald Trump banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House, citing “fake” and “negative” coverage. Although court orders have temporarily halted the ban, the Trump administration continues to attempt to curtail the rights of the free press.

Access to reliable information that speaks truth to power is an essential component of democracy. From reporting at the student level all the way to national news, journalism must remain unobstructed from administrative, institutional, or governmental control to ensure that citizens make their democratic decisions based on accurate information. 

The events currently unfolding at Cornell University exemplify the importance of independent student journalism in national discourse. The Cornell Daily Sun, Cornell’s independent student newspaper, has led coverage concerning the alleged drugging and rape of a student. In a staff editorial titled “Cornell Won’t, We Will,” The Daily Sun chose to publicize the names of the seven accused men, which has sparked important discussions nationwide on rape culture in American college life.

Here at Student Life, our coverage of the WashU community hinges on our independence from the WashU administration. Similarly, The Alestle must retain its right to conduct interviews independent of their marketing department’s presence.  

We stand with SIUE’s The Alestle as they defend their journalistic freedom from attempts at administrative oversight.

Staff editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of our editorial board members. The editorial board operates independently of our newsroom and includes members of staff.

Maddie Morgan | Forum Editor

Campbell Crum | DEI Editor

Harper Nix | Sports Editor

Jake Isenberg | Scene Editor

Eran Fann | Photo Editor 

Dion Hines | Managing Forum Editor

Lewis Rand | Editor-in-Chief

River Alsalihi | Forum Editor

Alex Dering | Photo Editor

Ava Giere | Managing Copy Editor

Apurva Ganti | Head of Training and Recruitment

Laurel Wang | Editor-in-Chief