The Law

Press on Campus

Public and private colleges and universities can impose their time, place, and manner restrictions on visiting reporters from outside news outlets. But any university restrictions that go beyond these reasonable constraints risk violating the First Amendment by limiting freedom of the press and students’ rights to media access.

For student press, universities may regulate only non-content based aspects of a student publication; they cannot censor, reduce funding, or engage in any other disciplinary action in an effort to control the published content. Student government officials must also adhere to these guidelines when considering action against student news groups.

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