On Wednesday, The Heights signed on to an amicus brief filed by the Student Press Law Center (SPLC) in support of The Stanford Daily in its lawsuit, Stanford Daily Publishing Corporation et al. v. Rubio et al.
The suit challenges Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s assertion that his office has the authority to deport international students or revoke their visas for their statements the Trump administration claims compromise American foreign policy interests.
We joined 54 other student media outlets and leaders across the country—as well as the SPLC, the Associated College Press, and the College Media Association—to support The Stanford Daily’s case.
The world of higher education is changing—rapidly, potently, and, often, irreversibly. While The Heights remains committed to navigating this landscape and providing our community with meaningful coverage, we’ve faced repeated obstacles in reporting on issues affecting international students on campus.
Many have expressed fear that speaking candidly about their experiences could endanger their visa statuses. Others have requested that we retroactively anonymize statements they made to us on the record, fearing retaliation from the federal government (a concern legitimized by the detention of Turkish graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk at Tufts University last spring in connection to an op-ed she co-published in The Tufts Daily).
As a student newspaper, our mission is to serve the campus community by reporting the truth, amplifying underrepresented voices, and holding those in power accountable.
That mission becomes impossible when our sources are worried speaking on the record might uproot their lives. That mission hinges on being able to share the stories of every student openly and honestly—full stop.
In joining this amicus brief, The Heights stands in solidarity with The Stanford Daily, student newsrooms across the country, and our own 106-year history of upright journalism for a greater Boston College.
You can read the full brief here.
