Dear Reader,
On Oct. 15, I, along with 54 other student news organizations and newsroom leaders, signed an amicus brief supporting The Stanford Daily in their federal lawsuit against Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) filed the lawsuit on behalf of The Stanford Daily against Secretary of State Marco Rubio. It challenges Rubio’s use of two federal immigration law provisions in order to revoke international students’ visas for constitutionally protected speech.
The suit was specifically filed in response to cases like Mahmoud Khalil’s and Rumeysa Ozturk’s, in which student writers were targeted for expressing their views in their campus publications.
The brief, filed by a Student Press Law Center (SPLC) coalition, states that such government action harms student media and its effects have already been felt in student newsrooms across the country. Contributors and sources for campus publications have gone silent in response to government threats while editors have been asked to take down stories and redact names.
In short, the effects of these government actions are affecting the very mission and purpose of independent student newspapers, who seek to accurately represent the voices in their communities. As fear of retribution prevents students from speaking up and talking to the press, this mission cannot be fulfilled.
When the SPLC invited The Student to sign on to the amicus brief, my immediate inclination was to join, given the issues’ pertinence to our publication. However, not having the capacity to meet as a paper and discuss the implications of this action at the time, I was compelled to sign in my individual capacity as a newsroom leader.
As an independent campus newspaper, The Student relies on the very principles of free speech that are being targeted. The right to free expression and editorial independence are integral to our work as student journalists. Having an entire population of students whose rights to free speech are in question limits and impedes our mission as a paper to hold our institution accountable, inform our public and tell truthful, nuanced stories.
Though the consequences of this action remain to be seen, I stand firm in my support of The Stanford Daily and all student journalists tenaciously pursuing the truth with integrity, passion, and independence.
The Student will continue to bring our audience stories about our campus and community that not only inform and entertain, but also uphold high ethical and journalistic standards. We are always seeking to improve our range of coverage and the diversity of perspectives and voices we center.
We hope that our readers, fellow students, professors, community members and alumni continue to support publications like ours through your continued engagement and readership.
Sincerely,
Trinity Poon ’26, Editor-in-Chief
