Editorial : Investigation of student blog challenges First Amendment rights
Last Friday, Syracuse University’s College of Law informed a second-year law student that he was being investigated as the creator of a satirical — and controversial — blog poking fun at SU’s College of Law community. An official complaint about the blog prompted the investigation.
SUCOLitis, a WordPress blog written in a style similar to CuseMyCampus.com, pokes fun at SU’s College of Law community. On the website, it says it was created in early October by a group of second- and third-year law students.
The SU College of Law investigation into the blog appears to be infringing on the students’ freedom of speech.
Actual names of College of Law students and faculty have been used in some cases, but the stories and information posted are not factual, which is clearly stated in a disclaimer on the website.
The disclaimer says the blog is a ‘satirical publication’ and no real news is published on the site. It also reads, ‘The views and opinions purportedly expressed should not be attributed to any persons, living or dead, including those with whom they share names and other descriptive details.’
The College of Law’s investigation into this law student — who they are unsure is responsible for the blog — appears to disregard the student’s First Amendment rights. In addition, it is singling out the student for the actions of a group.
The College of Law should reconsider its actions and create a proactive solution, such as holding a dialogue on the issue, rather than stifle and punish students engaging in freedom of expression.
And while the students running the blog are well within their rights, they could do more to make the blog blatantly satirical and tasteful. One way to do this is by satirizing only public figures within the SU College of Law community, rather than using the names of random students. That way, it is obvious when quotes and stories are untrue.
In lieu of the recent tragedy at Rutgers University, The Daily Orange understands the concern about possible bias-related incidents stemming from the site’s comments. But probing an investigation and calling for the blog to be removed is not the way to handle the incident.
