Does Hazelwood apply to public college student media in Washington?
No. At least not yet. Unfortunately, a 2005 federal court of appeals decision, Hosty v. Carter, 412 F.3d 731 (7th Cir. 2005), which ruled that Hazelwood could be applied to college student media in three Midwestern states, has led some college and university officials elsewhere – including here in Washington – to argue that they now have more control over college student media. The thought that free speech on an American college or university campus could be curtailed simply by an administrator declaring it “inconsistent with the shared values of a civilized social order” (however they might define that) is something that should give all of us great pause. HB 1307 would put an end to that threat.
