Rieder: First Amendment takes a hit at Missouri

It's a truly shameful and disturbing episode.

The behavior of University of Missouri students as they blocked student journalists from doing their jobs and exercising their First Amendment rights was bad enough.

But the behavior of two university employees — one a communications professor, no less — was truly beyond the pale. How professor Melissa Click, who had a courtesy appointment at the university's prestigious journalism school, and the university's director of Greek Life Janna Basler could work for an institution of higher learning is impossible to understand.

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True, emotions were running high. Students were protesting racism on campus, and their efforts led to the ouster of University of Missouri System President Tim Wolfe and University of Missouri-Columbia Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin.

But that's hardly an excuse to prevent journalists — students — from recording this important event.

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To truly understand how out of control Click and Basler were, it's crucial to watch the video of the confrontation. I'd urge everyone to do so. Mere words can't convey the ugliness of their behavior, the way both women fanned the flames of a fraught situation. They were simply awful to two young journalists and so obtuse about the First Amendment as to be beyond belief.

The immediate aftermath has been predictable. In the wake of national — and very negative — attention, both women have apologized. Basler could have been speaking for both of them when she said, "Instead of defusing an already tense situation, I contributed to its escalation."

So true.

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Click, who teaches mass media in the Communications Department, resigned from her courtesy appointment at the J-school before the school voted on whether to cut the cord. A courtesy appointment allowed her to sit on J-school graduate committees as opposed to teaching courses.

To his credit, J-school Dean David Kurpius quickly deplored Click's appalling behavior as contrary to the First Amendment.

OK, so they're sorry. But this seems like a situation that calls for a lot more than "my bad." Once you've watched that video, it's hard to picture Click — who screamed "Who wants to help me get this reporter out of here? I need some muscle over here” — teaching communications(!!!) classes or continuing to chair the Student Publications Committee. I wonder what she tells student reporters at the student newspaper, The Maneater, about how to cover demonstrations.

So it will be interesting to see how Missouri deals with two rogue agents who brought yet more embarrassment to the school at a time that was the last thing it needed. On Wednesday, Basler was placed on administrative leave.

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It's also clear Missouri has a lot to do when it comes to teaching its students about the First Amendment, which protects the right to report in the same way it protects the right to protest. Apparently a segment of the student body didn't know that the First Amendment had found its way to Columbia.

Of course, the Missouri incident didn't occur in a vacuum. The First Amendment is not a big crowd-pleaser on campus, particularly that part about free speech. Increasingly, positions thought to be not sufficiently sensitive come under fire.  At Yale University, some students are seeking the ouster of lecturer Erika Christakis for writing, in the midst of a discussion of Halloween costumes, “Is there no room anymore for a child or young person to be a little bit obnoxious … a little bit inappropriate or provocative or, yes, offensive?”

Yes, as developments at Missouri remind us, there is much to be done when it comes to the question of racial sensitivity on campus. But hopefully that can be accomplished without choking off freedom of expression, a cornerstone of our democracy.

One final note: If there's a bright spot in the Mizzou First Amendment debacle, it's the professionalism and grace of Tim Tai, the Missouri student who was gamely trying to photograph the protests for ESPN. His behavior in an extremely uncomfortable situation is an inspiration to us all.