A student newspaper, The Koala, admitting poor taste and known for its satirical takes on issues related to ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion and disability, finds itself without funding. University of California San Diego cut off its funding, The Koala says, for exercising its free speech rights. The university cut off funds for all student-run publications but it appeared acted in response to distasteful stories run in The Koala. (Courthouse News Service, June 2, 2016, by Jon Chown)
The American Civil Liberties Union is representing The Koala and other student publications in a quest to restore funding. The ACLU said that even if there was no intent to base the action on The Koala, it would still violate the First Amendment, which prohibits discrimination against the press.The ACLU said the university’s action to cut funding for publications discriminated since they are continuing to fund other student organizations. (The San Diego Union-Tribune, June 1, 2016, by Gary Warth)