On Wednesday, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) sent a letter to University of Alabama president Peter J. Mohler, decrying the removal of two identity-based magazines and the creation of a new one that will cover all points of view in a single publication.
“The University of Alabama’s suspension of student-run magazines 'Alice' and 'Nineteen Fifty-Six' is a blow to student press freedom. These publications have the First Amendment right to be free of viewpoint-based discrimination, but UA is explicitly citing their viewpoints to justify killing their publications.
"No federal anti-discrimination law authorizes the university to silence student media it dislikes. UA's claim that the magazines’ content is an 'unlawful proxy' is nonsense. This is an attack on the student press and nothing less. UA should immediately reinstate both publications,” FIRE student press counsel Marie McMullan said in a written statement.
The university contends that this is simply not true.
"The University will continue to provide funding for student media, including funding for a new student magazine that has a broader scope, and will never restrict our students’ freedom of expression. The First Amendment rights of our students remain fully intact," Alex House, a spokeswoman for the university said in a statement provided to 1819 News.
SEE: University of Alabama cuts Alice, Nineteen Fifty-Six, citing guidance from DOJ's DEI memo
The magazine will begin next academic year. Staff members of both Alice and Nineteen Fifty-Six will still receive pay for the spring semester.
“The University remains committed to supporting every member of our community and advancing our goals to welcome, serve, and help all succeed. In doing so, we must also comply with our legal obligations. This requires us to ensure all members of our community feel welcome to participate in programs that receive University funding from the Office of Student Media,” House said.
This new publication does not satisfy FIRE, which is demanding that they restore the two original magazines.
“FIRE’s Student Press Freedom Initiative is appalled by the University of Alabama’s decision to suspend two student-run magazines, Alice Magazine and Nineteen Fifty-Six. No federal antidiscrimination law requires the university to silence these publications, and its choice to do so is a violation of their clearly established First Amendment rights. That the magazines’ content may appeal to specific audiences based on race, sex, or gender—like countless other current and historical publications throughout the world—does not render them “unlawful proxies” engaged in some form of unlawful discrimination warranting shutdowns at the behest of a government agency like UA. The university must immediately reverse these suspensions and uphold its commitment to editorial independence for its student press,” the letter begins.
“The University of Alabama’s suspension of student-run magazines Alice and Nineteen Fifty-Six is a blow to student press freedom. These publications have the First Amendment right to be free of viewpoint-based discrimination, yet UA is explicitly citing their viewpoints to justify killing their publications. No federal anti-discrimination law gives the university the power to silence student media it dislikes. Calling the magazines’ content an “unlawful proxy” is baseless. This is an attack on the student press, plain and simple. FIRE demands that UA immediately reinstate both publications.”
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