Student journalists are choosing to remove their names from published articles due to escalating concerns of legal ramifications, online harassment, and professional repercussions amid mounting pressure from the Trump administration. The atmosphere has grown particularly tense following the arrest of Tufts University graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk, who is detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over her visa status. Although there is no evidence supporting the decision to revoke her visa, her op-ed critical of Israel has sparked fears that expressing certain views now could result in deportation.

The controversy has led to multiple student journalists and academics being taken into custody by immigration officials. University newspapers report rising anxiety among student writers, with some international students feeling pressured to anonymize their contributions or withdraw entirely due to fear of retaliation.

At Columbia University, the Political Review has taken down nearly a dozen articles and halted the publication process for over a dozen more in response to the mounting pressure. Student newspaper editors are facing difficult decisions in balancing safety concerns with journalistic integrity, with some exploring alternative measures like de-indexing controversial articles to maintain their webpage history.

The growing risk has prompted national student journalism organizations to issue alerts advocating for a reconsideration of traditional editorial practices around unpublishing stories and anonymization. Key dilemma remains in deciding whether to maintain transparency versus ensuring students’ safety in the face of destructive potential that such actions may incur.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/07/student-journalists-remove-stories-trump