At the University of Maryland, College Park, student journalism is being treated like a student conduct violation.
Riona Sheikh, the founder of the independent Muslim newspaper Al-Hikmah News, and her colleague Rumaysa Drissi, face interference and disruption charges for recording and photographing a newsworthy campus incident — in other words, basic journalism, which is core protected expression.
On October 21, UMD’s Students Supporting Israel chapter hosted an event featuring Israel Defense Forces soldiers. Protesters chanted slogans, and UMD police positioned themselves at the doorway.
Sheikh and Drissi stood back to document the protest — then police detained them, even after they repeatedly said they were student journalists rather than protest participants. One officer brushed it off: “That doesn’t mean anything.”
Now UMD is charging them with “interfering” and “disruptive” conduct. This sends a chilling message to every student reporter: cover the news, and you could be next.
As a public institution, UMD cannot ignore the First Amendment. Tell UMD to drop the charges and protect student press freedom.
