Student journalists cover protests at American universities

2024-05-04 17:28:58, Kosova & Bota CNA

Protests against Israel's war with Hamas have taken place at American universities across the country. In some cases there have been clashes with the police and confrontations between student groups. VOA correspondent Robin Guess reports that despite the dangers, student journalists and their news organizations are leading the coverage.

This week New York City police arrested protesters at Columbia University. But before the intervention, the police tried to remove the student journalists from the university.

They told VOA there weren't many of them left to report the incident when police moved in to clear a university building of protesters.

"The police strictly limited the access of members of the press, including student journalists who were on campus. Several members of the press outside the building chased them off campus entirely. It is very disturbing because they were not there to document or witness the action of the police in a very sensitive situation", says Meghnad Bose, journalism student at Columbia University.

He and other student journalists say their press freedom was violated. However, their work has inspired others.

“Especially when you listen to Columbia University radio. This is a very useful lesson for all of us student journalists, to know the existence of the impressions that officials want to create. But our reporting is also allowed to challenge them," Franziska Wild, a student editor at Georgetown University, told VOA.

In the western part of the United States, police intervened Thursday in a tent camp of pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of California in Los Angeles.

The student journalists were on the front lines when the police moved in to dismantle the camp and arrest the protesters. Their newspaper reported that at least four of their journalists were attacked by unknown individuals.

"What they're doing speaks to the clear and huge importance of student journalists in academic institutions to provide regular updates to faculty and students about what's happening on their campuses, especially in the current circumstances ," says George Dutton. , with the University of California, Los Angeles.

Student journalists say safety is the main concern. Some work in groups. Others carry inscriptions to identify themselves as members of the press. Their work is receiving high praise.

The Pulitzer Prize Board, which awards awards for outstanding achievements in American journalism, recognized the student journalists for tirelessly covering the protests while facing dangers.

Legal organizations are closely following the developments, noting that student journalists have been shot with rubber bullets, sprayed with pepper and the university has taken measures related to their reports. VOA spoke with Mr. Jonathan Falk, an attorney at the Student Press Law Center in Washington.

"When student journalists are lumped together with the protesters they're trying to cover, it hurts everyone."

Student journalists at George Washington University covered campus events for months. This is a joint effort of eight schools in the Washington area. Many journalists have been reporting since the first tent was erected in mid-April.

"They informed us that something is happening and to prepare. Together with the rest of the news team, we sat down and put together a coverage plan ," says Eddy Binford-Ross, a journalism student at Georgetown University.

Some student journalists told VOA that they are simply continuing to do the same thing they did before their campuses became part of international news and their coverage attracted public attention./ VOA