Ken Berwitz
Hundreds of Smith College students gathered Wednesday tovoice solidarity with University of Missouri protesters, only journalists werereportedly barred from the event unless sympathetic to the cause.
A sit-in from noonto midnight at the Northampton, Massachusetts, campus reportedly drew 300 to500 students and Black Lives Matter activists who chanted and shared their ownexperiences with racism and discrimination. Similar to rules enforced at theUniversity of Missouri and other campuses nationwide, media members were notallowed to cover the Smith College sit-in unless they openly supported themovement, MassLive reported.
Organizer Alyssa Mata-Flores said the no-press rule was inplace because “media has historically painted radical black movements asviolent and aggressive.”
“We are asking thatany journalists or press that cover our story participate and articulate theirsolidarity with black students and students of color,” she told MassLive. “Bytaking a neutral stance, journalists and media are being complacent in ourfight.”
Smith organizerssaid journalists were welcome to cover the event “if they agreed to explicitlystate they supported the movement in their articles,” MassLive reported.
Stacey Schmeidel,Smith College director of media relations, said the college supported the mediaban.
“It\’s a student event, and werespect their right to do that, although it poses problems for the traditionalmedia,” she told MassLive, adding that the private college reserves the rightto remove reporters.
