We should not have to argue for or convince anyone of the necessity for open and free press. Engrained within the First Amendment is the promise that free press shall not be infringed upon in the United States. Two hundred years since its inscription, the words and right should remain untouched.
In this volume of Technician, we have placed a greater emphasis on digital media in the constantly evolving world of journalism, as is the case with many newspapers across the country. An integral part of this is livestreaming events of interest to the student body, to allow those unable to attend access to the information, entertainment and ideas expressed at such events.
Unfortunately, in some cases, this practice has been thwarted by NC State administration.
On Tuesday, Technician planned on livestreaming an on-campus forum with state Sen. Jay Chaudhuri. This forum was open to any member of the student body to attend, and with low turnout, livestream access would unquestionably have given more students registered in Wake County the opportunity to interact with their representative making decisions on a statewide level.
Technician was informed by Brian Mathis, associate director of the Center for Student Leadership, Ethics and Public Service, that Sen. Chaudhuri’s office requested the event not be livestreamed, due to a desire not to politicize the event, but encouraged traditional written reporting of the event. Two Technician reporters who brought video recording equipment to Talley Student Union were barred from entering the room, despite CSLEPS originally suggesting that Technician livestream the event in email correspondence just one week prior.
Following the forum, Sen. Chaudhuri told a Technician reporter that he wouldn’t have minded either way if the livestream was recorded.
It isn’t as if this was an isolated incident. At the second Student Senate meeting of the 97th session of Student Government, several senators inquired to the Student Senate president on the legality of removing Technician’s cameras during deliberations and voting on Student Body President Jackie Gonzalez’s cabinet nominees.
On Sept. 5, this inquiry became a reality, when Technician and members of the public were removed from the impeachment hearing of former Student Body Treasurer John Taylor Willis after a go-ahead from Student Government adviser and Assistant Vice Chancellor Justine Hollingshead. Visiting senators were allowed to remain in the room, voiding any claims of “closed session.”
The common denominator? University administrators.
Advice from administration has led to decision-making that has no basis in law, and this decision-making has harmed students by limiting access to the information they deserve, information about elected officials, both at an NC State level and at a much larger scale.
Technician does not livestream events in an effort to dig up dirt, but rather to have transparency for the very constituency that Student Government and other entities represent and advocate for. Whether students choose to watch the livestream is ultimately up to them, but it is the duty of Technician to provide that access to any and all who wish to do so. The journalist has long been the stand-in for members of the public who are unable to attend, and for university administration to limit this access not only spars with the issue of legality, it is a disservice to the university community as a whole.
If governing individuals dictate the importance of certain events by way of open access, it becomes a slippery slope for the legitimacy of both the information given, and the bodies themselves. As a public institution receiving taxpayer funds, NC State administrators must realize the necessity for openness that is inherent in the university. Otherwise, they are participating in the censorship of the free press.
Enough is enough. We want assurance that this ends now. We want to stop being blocked from doing our jobs.
The unsigned editorial is the opinion of the majority of Technician’s editorial board, and is the responsibility of the editor-in-chief.
