From today's letter by FIRE and the Anti-Defamation League, send to Princeton University:
Princeton is stifling … discussions [about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict] and newsgathering by its student press, by permitting students who dislike certain speech to be granted no-communication or no-contact orders against other students. While no-contact protocols are important tools to keep students safe from properly defined discriminatory harassment, and threatening, intimidating, or assaultive conduct, Princeton appears to be granting these orders for any student who requests one, so long as minimal procedural prerequisites are satisfied.
These orders are being issued by administrators with disciplinary authority, under threat of punishment, without a modicum of due process, and—most unconscionably—where the student-speaker is not even alleged to have violated any university policy. This practice is deeply chilling, in blatant violation of Princeton's laudable free expression policies, and must end immediately….
Princeton … [has issued a] no-contact order against a [Princeton] Tory journalist who reported on a student demonstration against Israel. A Tory journalist covered a November 9 protest held by Students for Justice in Palestine. While she was recording footage of the protestors' chants and signs, a graduate student attempted to block her camera. The graduate student followed the journalist, and remained in close physical proximity to her, despite the journalist voicing her discomfort.
When the journalist reported this to an on-duty Public Safety officer, the officer informed the journalist that she was "inciting something." Following the officer's inaction, the graduate student continued to attempt to physically obstruct the journalist from filming, eventually pushing her and stepping on her foot. {The recitation here reflects our understanding of the pertinent facts. We appreciate that you may have additional information to offer and invite you to share it with us.}
After the protest, the graduate student who pushed the journalist obtained a no-contact order against her. The journalist met with her Assistant Dean for Student Life to discuss the order and asked the dean whether she could publish articles written before the issuance of the no- contact order that mention the graduate student's name. The dean later informed the journalist via email {on file with author} that the university "cannot determine if they would be a violation of the NCO—it is possible that some statements may be interpreted by the other student as an indirect or direct attempt to communicate. The safest course of action in terms of a possible violation of the NCO would be to refrain from writing or to be interviewed for articles that mention the name of the student with whom you have an NCO (or to retract them if that's possible)." …
