Another group censures OCC

The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication has passed a resolution censuring Ocean County College for terminating Prof. Karen Bosley from her roles as journalism instructor and Viking News adviser, according to this Student Press Law Center report from Aug. 14.

Here is an excerpt...

In addition to censuring the college, the AEJMC resolution also calls on Bosley’s reinstatement both as adviser and as a journalism professor — the college has also reassigned her to teaching English courses.

The more general resolution calls for the maintenance of student newspaper advisers’ rights and condemns requiring advisers to review content prior to publication or in any way determine student newspaper content.

The resolution says AEJMC will communicate the association’s concern about student press censorship to the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications and urge “that such behavior be given special consideration in accreditation decisions.”

“A threat to accreditation is a powerful weapon in the fight against censorship,” said Mark Goodman, executive director of the Student Press Law Center. “This resolution should have some schools very nervous.”

Ocean County Observer: Time for OCC to admit its mistake and rehire Bosley

I'm trying to keep up with all the media coverage surrounding the plight of Prof. Karen Bosley and the Viking News staff, but my real job has been keeping me extremely busy.

Anyway...this editorial was published in the Aug. 11 issue of the Ocean County Observer. Here is an excerpt:

A federal judge has put her back in the position, ruling the paper's student editors are likely to prevail in a lawsuit where they claim she got the ax because the paper has been highly critical of OCC President Dr. Jon Larson and his administration...

...It is a temporary injunction that bars the college from replacing her — an injunction likely to become permanent if the suit continues. The federal court said to allow Bosley to be purged would have an "impermissibly chilling effect on the paper's student editors' freedom of expression in future issues." The suit is one of several swirling out of complaints by the student journalists and their mentor, and other staff members who claim their contracts were not renewed because they were critical of the administration.

Long overdue update...recent media coverage

I apologize for the lack of recent updates. I have just been really busy. But here are some links to recent media stories about the plight of Prof. Bosley and the Viking News.

Student Sues School To Save Advisor’s Job - July 27, 2006
AP via CBS3.com Philadelphia

Judge Reinstates Advisor To N.J. College Paper - July 28, 2006
Editor & Publisher

N.J. campus newspaper adviser wins temporary reinstatement - July 28, 2006
AP via FirstAmendmentCenter.org

Judge's ruling reinstates OCC student paper adviser - July 28, 2006
Asbury Park Press

Judge Restores Student Newspaper's Faculty Adviser - July 28, 2006
The Chronicle of Higher Education News Blog

Students happy at Bosley's return - July 30, 2006
Ocean County Observer