Dec. 10: Stanford showdown over student journalist

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Top story of the week

University pushes for student journalist to face prosecution

A student journalist at Stanford University who covered a pro-Palestinian campus protest is facing criminal proceedings — including felony allegations of burglary, vandalism, and conspiracy.

Freshman Dilan Gohill was arrested on June 5 while reporting for The Stanford Daily, the university’s student newspaper. Gohill followed protesters into the university president’s office building and was taken into custody along with the protesters, who barricaded themselves inside. Gohill was wearing a press badge, a Stanford Daily sweatshirt and a camera to identify himself as a journalist. According to Columbia Journalism Review, Stanford officials continue to push for Gohill to face prosecution, stating he “had no First Amendment or other legal right to be barricaded inside the president’s office.”

In his first interview since his arrest, Gohill told CJR that he doesn’t regret reporting the story and believes it was important to cover the protest from inside the building.

Engage:

If you have college kids in your life, share this Columbia Journalism Review story and ask them what they think. Do they agree with Gohill’s decision to follow the protesters? Why or why not? What kinds of risks do journalists take to report on breaking news stories? How far should journalists go to cover a story when arrests are possible?

Related:

“Central Illinois student journalists are snagging bylines in local papers” (WCBU).

Tool for the talk:

Poster: “The First Amendment”

RumorGuard post of the week

No, Pete Buttigieg didn’t spend billions for just a few electric vehicle charging stations

❌ NO: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg did not spend $7.5 billion to build just eight EV charging stations.

✅ YES:  The $7.5 billion figure is the total amount of money provided by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to build a network of publicly available charging stations across the country.

✅ YES:  States are applying for grants to fund the charging networks, and the bulk of the $7.5 billion has not yet been spent.

✅ YES: As of 2024, this program has been used to build more than 200 chargers across 12 states.

★ NewsLit takeaway

Political attacks often leave out vital context for the sake of scoring partisan points, so it is important to check explosive claims against impartial, credible sources. Here are some tips to recognize and verify these kinds of claims:

1. Check for evidence. This post was not accompanied by any links or supporting evidence, a red flag that is cause for skepticism. 
2. Look for keywords. Use specific figures, such as “eight EV chargers” and “$7.5 billion,” to search online for additional context.
3. Consider the source. To verify a social media claim, consider researching sources that can provide accurate, reliable information about the topic — and avoiding those that lack expertise and aren't credible.

Kickers of the week

➕ The owner of the Los Angeles Times plans to add an AI-generated “bias meter” to its news coverage that he says will give readers “both sides” of a story. The move prompted a backlash from Times journalists, who said the newsroom already abides by strict ethical standards, including “vigilance against bias.”

➕ There may be a less direct way to counter misinformation: “bypassing.” New research suggests that this strategy — which offers accurate information that implies the opposite of falsehoods presented — is less confrontational but effective.

➕ AI images are looking more realistic as technology advances. Can you tell which image is real in this collage?

One last thing...

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