Campus Newspaper Accused of Attacking Student Leader Posted by College Media Matters on Tuesday, February 22, 2011 · 11 Comments

On page two of its current issue, The Koala, a student newspaper at the University of California, San Diego, calls a female student government representative a “fat wh-re” in a bolded headline.

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The related article similarly condemns her as a “thick-necked uppity skank” and a “homely unf—able bovine.” Nearby, the layout features a photo of the student crudely doctored to include a cutout of male genitalia spread across her face.

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According to local news media, the student believes Koala staffers are taking revenge for her vote to cut the newspaper’s funding. She said that upon seeing the half-page spread, “[I] just kind of fell apart and called my mom.“

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She is seeking therapy for the emotional pain the Koala has caused, calling the content obscene, pornographic, and blatant sexual harassment. Her mother is seeking the article’s removal from the paper’s website and legal redress. As of last week, her communication with the university had gone unanswered.

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UCSD officials did release a public statement, noting, “The university does not endorse, condone or approve of the material the Koala publishes. Under the First Amendment, the university is severely limited in the actions it can take in response to content published by students.”

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According to one law professor, the published content does not fall within the First Amendment’s purview: “It is not free speech. It is obscenity. It’s a criminal act. . . . The picture is not protected by the U.S. Constitution.”

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A San Diego broadcast news outlet’s attempt to interview the Koala‘s top editor was rebuffed due to a disagreement over alcohol and journalism ethics. “Late Wednesday, [the editor] returned a phone call from 10News and refused to do an interview unless 10News gave him a case of beer,” the station reported. “10News did not, because it is 10News’ policy not to pay for interviews, so [the editor] ended the conversation.”