University of California at San Diego: Censorship of Student Satire Magazine

Case Materials

• "Victory at UCSD, but Deception Remains; Administration Drops Case Against The Koala," FIRE Press Release, June 21, 2002: The University of California, San Diego has long been seeking to silence a student humor publication, The Koala, that it officially "disfavors." In a terse statement dated June 19, 2002—one day after FIRE revealed the story to the media—the university dropped spurious charges of "disruption" against the publication, ending a hypocritical siege of constitutional rights at this public institution.
• "FIRE's Analysis of The UCSD Statement (In Full) Regarding the Koala/Judicial Board Hearing," June 21, 2002
• "UCSD Statement Regarding the Koala/Judicial Board," UCSD News, June 19, 2002
• "California Review Special Edition," California Review, June 19, 2002
• "Student Humor Magazine Prosecuted for Parody at UCSD: University Decision Expected This Week," FIRE Press Release, June 18, 2002: Administrators at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) are seeking to punish, in secret, a student humor publication, The Koala, for constitutionally protected parody. Given UCSD’s prior defense of speech that called for the murder of "race traitor" Latino government officials, its current actions betray an extraordinary double standard.
• "FIRE’s letter to UCSD," May 22, 2002

Media Coverage

• "Free Press 101," Erich Wasserman, Arbiter Online, December 1, 2003
• "David Orland's The Road to Aztlan," Dale Wong, ChronWatch, September 25, 2003
• "The Road to Aztlan," David Orland, Boundless.org, September 22, 2003
• "How Not to Marry a Saudi National," Scott Norvell, Fox News, June 24, 2002
• "University fails in bid to punish magazine," Lou Marano, United Press International, June 20, 2002
• "UCSD Sides With Hate Group," James Taranto, The Wall Street Journal, June 11, 2002
• "Diversity and Division," Ben Boychuk, California Review, February 1, 2002