Monday, November 27, 2023
Press gathered in “allowed” areas on public streets– outside Brown — on Monday. PHOTO: GoLocalProv
In an unprecedented move, Brown University is blocking the press from an event on campus on Monday.
Brown University President Christina Paxton announced on Sunday that a vigil was going to be held for Brown student Hisham Awartani, one of three Palestinian students shot in Vermont over the weekend.
On Monday, as national and local press descended on the Providence campus, the university announced just hours before the vigil on the campus green that it would be closed to the press.
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“Never before in GoLocal’s nearly 14-year history has a college or university decided at the last moments before an event to block the media’s access and ability to report,” said Josh Fenton, CEO and Co-Founder of GoLocal. “For the Paxson administration, who has repeatedly talked about the importance of the freedom of ideas in the past, this is a black eye to the freedom of the press.”
One of the many reporters blocked from covering the vigil
Brown spokesperson Amanda McGregor sent the following out on Monday afternoon — just hours before the event.
We’re fielding a high volume of inquiries from news organizations reaching out for more information and sharing requests for a news presence on the Brown University campus. To respect our community’s desire for privacy, we are not permitting external news organizations to have an on-campus presence today for media coverage of the 4:30 p.m. Vigil for Peace and Healing.
We are conveying to all news media that the Brown University community is deeply shaken by the attack on one of our students in Vermont over the weekend, and the vigil is intended as a space where our students, faculty and staff can have the comfort of community with hopes of encouraging healing. It’s considered a private University event for this reason. Reporters are not permitted to film or conduct interviews on campus.
Brown is a private campus, including the College Green (also known as the Main Green), so news media may report from the public streets adjacent to the campus (including public property outside the Student Center arch on Waterman Street and outside of the campus gates on Prospect Street). We appreciate your understanding.
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