May newspapers reject offensive advertisements submitted by extremist groups?
Yes. The First Amendment does not compel privately owned newspapers to provide a forum for the dissemination of the opinions of extremist groups. Publishers may use their editorial discretion to reject ads that they deem to be inappropriate for their publication. Extremist groups — particularly those that deny the reality of the Holocaust — often attempt to place advertisements in university newspapers. In almost all such cases, student editors may reject the ads. The vast majority of student newspapers at public universities are run by students and are therefore not technically under government control. These newspapers, like student papers at private universities, are free to reject inappropriate advertisements. In rare instances, student newspapers at state universities are run by the school’s administration itself. In these cases, the First Amendment prohibits the paper from rejecting advertisements based on their content.
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