Organization 'Censures' University Over Student Newspaper Adviser's Exit

By: Mark Fitzgerald College Media Advisers (CMA), the national organization of student journalism advisers, has censured Morgan State University for what it called the "firing" of the adviser to the student newspaper.

In a July 23 "letter of censure" to the president of the historically black university in Baltimore, CMA charged that Denise Brown "was removed from her position as adviser on June 30, 2009, as a result of her students exercising their civil and First Amendment rights by publishing a series of news stories and editorials that were critical of the university administration."

The letter also accused university officials of attempting to question student journalists about their sources for stories in The Spokesman school newspaper. "CMA is concerned that the present academic and student affairs environments are not conducive to healthy journalism and student media programs at Morgan State," the organization said in a statement.

A spokesman for Morgan State said Wednesday that CMA is misstating the facts of Brown's departure.

Brown was a contractual employee with other duties besides advising the Spokesman who was not fired, said Clinton R. Coleman, director of Morgan State's office of communications and public relations. Brown's contract had run out and was not renewed, he said in a telephone interview.

"The decision not to renew the contract -- and that's all it was, there was no firing -- was a decision based on some personnel matters that really were not directly related to her adviser position, and certainly not because of any articles that were published by the Spokesman," Coleman said. "Miss brown simply failed to follow the normal procedures and policies related to Morgan State University and the state of Maryland. We are a state institution and must follow certain guidelines and principles."

He said he could not elaborate on the personnel issues involved.

Coleman also vigorously denied CMA's claim that the university had in any way interfered with the First Amendment rights of its student journalists.

"They have been printing these articles for many, many months, and nothing was done," he said. "The newspaper continues to publish with a free voice, and they have been saying and are continuing to say thing in defense of Miss Brown.

"No punitive action has or will be taken in regard to the students that are involved in the paper. We emphatically deny that the voices of any of our student journalists have been silenced -- nor has their independence" been interfered with, Coleman added.

For its part, CMA said it will consider lifting the censure if Brown is reappointed as student media adviser, the university adopts written guidelines for the adviser position that incorporates CMA's ethics policy and the school develops and implements "governing documents for student media that will allow students to practice journalism without prior review or post-publication challenges by administrators."

The development and implementation of written guidelines for the performance of the adviser's duties that follow the CMA Code of Ethics, recognized as the national standard for college media advising.