University of Wisconsin Oshkosh: Journalists Required to Seek Permission from, Submit Questions to Marketing Department to Interview University Employees

The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s media relations practices require student journalists to seek permission from the institution to interview university employees and, if permitted, submit interview questions to the university’s marketing department. FIRE wrote to UWO March 9, explaining this requirement is an unconstitutional prior restraint and constitutes prior review in violation of faculty First Amendment rights, student journalists’ rights, and the public’s right to know. On March 24, UWO wrote to FIRE pledging to support student journalists’ expressive rights and to review the marketing department’s practices. Administrators also met with student journalists to devise new practices.