AUBG student media and censorship

Editorial
April 29, 2010

This article has been updated April 30, 2010 at 1.30 p.m. to include the original email exchange between Ralica Ninova, Ann Ferren and Tanya Papazova.

As many consider it controversial, the new provost search has been a hot topic at AUBG throughout the whole semester. We never thought the process could harm transparency any further after the provost search committee explained that they need a permission before distributing candidate CVs and cover letters, which is one of the reasons visit announcements arrived at the last moment. Then a little over a week ago, we received correspondence that shocked us.

The exchange was, amongst others, between Ralica Ninova, a Flash News copy editor, and Dr. Joseph Gower, a candidate who currently holds the provost position at the Georgian Court University in Lakewood, N.J. Gower found it appropriate to write to Ninova saying "I do not give you permission to publish a story or print a photograph regarding my being interviewed here."

We find this notion of attempted censorship utterly despicable. We live in a free society, where a public meeting took place between a provost candidate and students, who were just recently asked to submit their thoughts about the candidates. At the same time the provost candidate found it appropriate to try to influence the media to serve his own purposes, thus diminishing his credibility.

Just when we thought it can't get any worse, Ninova was quick to apologize for interviewing him and FlashNews agreed to be censored. We would like to remind our colleagues that the student media's primary goal is to keep the student body informed, and not serve the interest and demands of individuals.

As a result of this, we urge the administration, especially the Provost Search Committee, to dismiss Dr. Gower as a provost candidate.

Below is the original email exchange that was forwarded to defacto:

From: Tanya Papazova
Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 10:33 AM
To: Ralica Marianova Ninova
Subject: no permission for publication

Dear Ralica Ninova,
I am writing on behalf of Dr. Gower, Provost Candidate:
I do not give you permission to publish a story or print a photograph regarding my being interviewed here. The process is confidential so you would understand why this would not be appropriate. Please do not include my name in any article for your newspaper.
Thank you,
Sincerely,
J. Gower

From: Tanya Papazova
Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 10:52 AM
To: Ralica Marianova Ninova
Subject: RE: no permission for publication
Importance: High

Dear Ralica,
Let me add something to Dr. Joseph Gower's statement below. In my capacity as a member of the Provost Search Committee, I would like to emphasize that it would be breach of confidentiality if his name or any reference to him appears on internet or in any publication here, at AUBG. This is true also for all candidates who come on campus. Please be so kind as to acknowledge the receipt of this and the
previous message.
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Tanya
Tanya Papazova
Assistant to the Provost
Accreditation Coordinator

From: Ann Ferren
Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 1:01 PM
To: Ralica Marianova Ninova
Subject: Candidates for Provost

Dear Ralica:
The candidate for the Provost position has asked that you not print any article about him or any picture.  He was taken by surprise by your taking his picture and requesting an interview.
You may not know that it is a courtesy to candidates who hold positions on other campuses to not make public that they are a candidate for another position as it can have a negative effect at
their current position.
On his behalf, and for all others, I am requesting that you not write about the candidates or post any pictures.  When a decision has been made, I am sure you will have a good story.
Thank you for your consideration.
Ann Ferren

From: Ralica Marianova Ninova
Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 1:37 PM
To: Tanya Papazova; Ann Ferren
Subject: RE: no permission for publication

Dear Ms. Papazova and Provost Ferren,
Please relate my apologies to Dr. Gower if he was surprised or offended by my questions. Since there was an open session with the students, I assumed that publishing a Q&A piece with him in the media would contribute to making him more available to the students. As I already told him last night, I respect his confidentiality and would not publish without his permission. Having your statements in mind now
as well, I assure you that nothing regarding the provost candidates will be published in FlashNews until one is officially hired for the position. You may want to let the other student media (deFacto and Verve) about the confidentiality policy as well.
Sincerely,
Ralica Ninova

From: Ann Ferren
Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 1:46 PM
To: Ralica Marianova Ninova; Tanya Papazova
Subject: RE: no permission for publication

Dear Ralica:
Thank you for your response.  I am not sure who the editors are of deFacto and Verve-can you tell me who I should send this to?
Ann Ferren

From: Ralica Marianova Ninova <RMN080@aubg.bg>
Date: Tue, Apr 20, 2010 at 16:30
Subject: RE: no permission for publication
To: Ann Ferren <aferren@aubg.bg>, Tanya Papazova <TPapazova@aubg.bg>,
Nikola Milekic <NNM061@aubg.bg>
Cc: Violina Angelova Krasteva <VAK070@aubg.bg>, Sandra Earley <searley@aubg.bg>


Dear all,
I am writing to you regarding Defacto's publication of a story about one of the provost candidates on their website (you can see it here:
http://www.defactobg.com/prosepoint/story/prospective-provost-visits-campus). From our correspondence, I was left with the impression that none of the student media were allowed to publish anything about any of the candidates because it was seen as a breach of confidentiality of the
hiring process. FlashNews chose to respect the administration's and the candidates' decision and did not publish their names, pictures or any other trace of their presence on campus. Defacto's story has now
appeared in their print issue, their website and as a link on Facebook, which blatantly disregards the candidate's request for privacy (especially concerning the internet). I believe that the least
that can be done is for the story to be taken off the website and for the editorial team to respect this policy.
Best,
Ralica Ninova

Comments

support for editorial

Some guess the fuss was made by the candidate because he had something to hide. In this case, I am on the side of DF all the way.
Submitted by Anonymous on May 3, 2010 - 15:48.

R. Ninova

One detail that is conveniently missing from this editorial: the candidate and I agreed before the interview that it is off the record. He still agreed to answer my questions, then to think it over again and write me an e-mail whether or not he changed his mind. His main concern was not his boss finding out, since he probably already told him, but that he didn't want all of his colleagues and students finding out about something that might not happen; that's where the confidentiality part of the hiring process comes in. I chose to respect his request; that is why we did not publish, not because the administration told us not to. Perhaps you should check your sources before you start twisting people's words, as well as occasionally make some ethical considerations of your own.
Submitted by Anonymous on April 30, 2010 - 23:14.

This doesn't change much,

This doesn't change much, sorry.
Submitted by Anonymous on May 1, 2010 - 20:11.

ralica - hypocrite

ralica, then why did you decide to "tell on" defacto for publishing the article about dr. cyrus reed; why did you decide to send ferren an email accusing defacto of breaching a contract it had not signed? that is what bothers me You are a hypocrite and you know it very well... a former aubger
Submitted by Anonymous on May 1, 2010 - 13:02.

Agree

Agree 100% !!! The man has his concerns. He wants confidentiality. Defacto, there are other stuff to write about. This is not the first time when you fuck around with people's personal life. Whoever was interested in the candidates could come and see them during the meetings.
Submitted by Anonymous on May 1, 2010 - 10:23.

Before talking about personal

Before talking about personal life, go and learn what it means, and what the boundaries are.
Submitted by Anonymous on May 1, 2010 - 20:05.

okk

okk
Submitted by Anonymous on May 2, 2010 - 12:30.

Kudos on your decision

I support your decision to run the articles 100%. There are two issues that are at stake here : reporting on a public meeting, to serve the public (the purpose of media) who is a major stakeholder in the Provost selection. Since so few people attended the meeting it appears that it's that much more important for the media to report on it. The second issue, is the candidate's privacy. The candidate should have confirmed the details of the selection/interview process and made a decision based on that whether he is willing to sacrifice his privacy for a chance of getting the job. Once he appeared in a public debate, he lost the privilege of remaining private. The issue here is between the AUBG administration and the candidates and has nothing to do with the media. - A former Defacto Editor
Submitted by Anonymous on April 30, 2010 - 18:23.

Very true. The email was

Very true. The email was public. AUBG's independent student media is not bound by AUBG's confidentiality agreements. If reporters were not allowed, and the meeting was closed, then:
1) There should not have been an allstud email inviting all students to take part. - And you see the problem with that, I bet! So obviously, it cannot be a confidential process.

_________________
Second Provost Candidate - Dr. Joseph Gower - Campus Visit-April 12-15, 2010
Student Services
Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 12:09 PM
To: allstudents

Dear Students,
On behalf of the Provost Search Committee I would like to invite you to an Open Session for Students with Dr. Joseph F. Gower, Provost Candidate – TOMORROW - Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. in Room 103, NAB.
Submitted by Anonymous on April 30, 2010 - 20:54.

Also, the guy should have

Also, the guy should have reacted the second his picture was taken. Since he did not - this implies consent.
Submitted by Anonymous on April 30, 2010 - 20:55.

How do you know

How do you know if someone even took a picture of him?
Submitted by Anonymous on April 30, 2010 - 22:36.

And I just love this

"As a result of this, we urge the administration, especially the Provost Search Committee, to dismiss Dr. Gower as a provost candidate." It seems to me that the administration is not only well aware of this candidate's position, but also protects him, so why do you think that anyone would care about your this pointless urge? Funny how student media thinks they can make a difference when actually the number of people reading defacto or any other student media is so progessively decreasing and here I refer not only to students, but also to faculty and administration.
Submitted by Anonymous on April 30, 2010 - 22:43.

to the "and i just love this" person

It's sad that the vast majority of AUBGers reason like you do. You'll never get better governance with this reasoning - not at AUBG, and not in real life.
Submitted by Anonymous on May 1, 2010 - 20:09.

MHer is back

my friend, you are wrong. the adminsitration is well aware of the student media, and they read it. and trust me, if they will hire this gower guy, you will see very well how the media can impact everything on campus. you don't give them enough credit because you are an ignorant, and it's fine - you will be nothing in life - but let judgement be done by smart people, not people like yourself. and, i apologize, this article has 20 comments in one day. really? nobody reads defacto?
Submitted by Anonymous on May 1, 2010 - 13:06.

to MHER

This article has 20 comments in three days, not in one. The administration is aware of the student media, yes, they read it, maybe, but any discontent like the one in this article would not really bother them, let alone, change their mind about whom to hire. This article has the most comments from the issue, which is sad because it is a poorly written editorial on a presumably controversial issue. Much more important issues such as the removal of the D- and D+, or the JMC curriculum approval seem to not interest people that much. It's normal to have more comments on such type of opinions, people look for the scandal even if it does not really exist, as is the case. MHER, I really enjoyed the moment when you had no examples to back up your statements with and just decided to insult me, without knowing me. Very effective.
Submitted by Anonymous on May 1, 2010 - 16:30.

Censoring

Yeah, so you think that student media censoring from a man who haven't even entered the provost position yet is not an important issue? It is a controversial topic and such things should be mentioned up front and raise concern in the student body. If AUBG hires the guy, we may end up without media on campus
Submitted by Anonymous on May 2, 2010 - 15:22.

Administration's Mistake?

Their bad. If the hiring process it to be held as confidential - and many firms and non-public universities have every legal right to do such -- then inviting the press in and *then* telling them, "oh, but this is secret" is short-sighted, bad planning. Maybe the administration should consider in the future larger student committees who hold to an NDA; or else they should inform applicants prior to on-site visits that student media will cover the event, allowing people like Gower to pull out.
Submitted by Anonymous on April 30, 2010 - 17:51.

It is interesting

It is interesting how out of the whole df issue that came out yesterday, only this piece was published on the website. Is this the most important thing you wrote about this week? Because if it is, too bad, really. It seems that one really cared about the provost selection as few students, mainly student media and members of the provost search committee, attended the open sessions. Just a thought.
Submitted by Anonymous on April 30, 2010 - 15:44.

artefacto

I would really wanna know - out of these 3 people who posted these three comments how many did attend his presentation? And defacto - you again prooved everybody that it is run by idiots
Submitted by Anonymous on April 30, 2010 - 03:03.

Dum

Dear flashnews editor or reporter, You are completely dum. It's not about you or defacto or anyone else. It's about freedom of speech. Cheers, an AUBG alumnus
Submitted by Anonymous on April 30, 2010 - 14:28.

Keep the student body informed

Defacto, you have to admit that the students do not give a flying fuck about who the next provost will be (except the very few students (around 10) who actually attended the meetings with the candidates). I am interested in what the reason was for Gower asking not to publish the interview. If anybody have information about that please write it as a comment. -- member of Defacto
Submitted by Anonymous on April 29, 2010 - 17:29.

Yes, I don't give a "flying

Yes, I don't give a "flying fuck" about the next provost! -- AUBG student
Submitted by Anonymous on April 30, 2010 - 23:26.

I think cause he could lose

I think cause he could lose his job if they learn he is looking for a new one?~a kid that refuses to sign its name because of social pressure
Submitted by Anonymous on April 30, 2010 - 02:52.

Dismiss Him!

he is now a public person. How dares to say "don't publish anything about me". You choose mate, 1.stay at home and hidden or 2. become a provost. Also fundamentalist religious people like him should not have leading positions. If he is not dismissed, this dude will put a giant Cross on top of AUBG logo. Students don't need that; they don't need him. Check his past!!!
Submitted by Anonymous on April 29, 2010 - 15:31.

administration should've warned the media

I think it's the administration's fault that they have not explained to the student media what the policies in such cases are. And I support FlashNews decision not to publish the story. And, guys, give it a thought before taking sides. If I applied for another job, I wouldn't want my current employer to know about that. What's more, in most ads for jobs it's said that confidentiality is guaranteed. So, the wanna-be provost has a point and is right. It's another question whether he is good enough for the position.
Submitted by Anonymous on April 30, 2010 - 15:33.

Defacto have done all their

Defacto have done all their research, you should not assume/claim otherwise unless you can prove it. It would actually be really good if you could prove it- this is what freedom of speech is about.~the samekid
Submitted by Anonymous on April 30, 2010 - 16:52.