Copies of the latest issue of The Badger, the newspaper produced by Sussex university’s student union, were seized before they could be distributed, reports the Brighton & Hove News.
It appears that some union officials were upset by an article about a student who is reported to be taking legal action against the university.
They therefore suspended the paper’s editor and revoked the editorial staff’s access to its website after taking hold of the printed copies.
According to a brief statement on the students’ union website, the Badger’s staff had not followed procedure by having the issue “signed off by a students’ union representative” before being sent to the printer.
It said this was “to ensure it complies with relevant legislation and to avoid the threat of litigation.”
The statement added: “We are investigating how this occurred so cannot comment further at this point. We hope to resolve this as soon as possible.”
A further update to the statement (posted at 2.10pm on Tuesday) said the union hoped to complete its investigation by the end of the week, adding:
“We have received advice that supports our concerns that content in the most recent issue is potentially defamatory... We have a responsibility to protect the Union and its student members which is why we didn’t want to publish an article that we believe puts us at risk of legal action.”
Earlier, some of the paper’s staff had released a statement, as reported by Brighton & Hove News, in which they said: “The Badger has received independent legal advice saying all content was legally sound...
“We strongly feel that our editorial independence has been compromised by the incident.”
They also threatened to distribute copies of the disputed issue “regardless of union opinion.”
The website also quoted the Badger’s acting editor, Daniel Green, as saying: “I am due to have discussions with the students’ union... and I hope we can come to a peaceful resolution to solve the issues which have arisen.”
Sources: Brighton & Hove News/Students’ union
