Two members of The Daily were arrested early this morning in connection with an attempted pro-Palestine occupation of the president and provost’s office in Main Quad. One was present to report on the protest for The Daily and was detained in violation of his First Amendment and Fourth Amendment rights. We are appalled at this threat to the freedom of the press.
The second Daily member who was arrested was there in her personal capacity, not to report for The Daily.
Protesters entered the building at 5:30 a.m. and barricaded themselves inside, blocking doors and windows. The Daily’s reporter remained inside, with a press pass and wearing Stanford Daily attire, to cover the protest and potential arrests. He remained in communication with another reporter, who was outside the building, and with editors in The Daily’s newsroom.
The Daily received advance notice of the protest around midnight on June 4, but without details on its location or nature. Organizers told reporters to meet them at a central location before a protest they described as likely to lead to arrests. Two reporters received permission from editors to cover the demonstration, and were actively communicating with editors prior to and during the protest. Editors explicitly instructed our reporter to comply with any instructions from police officers.
Police entered the building shortly after 8 a.m. and arrested protesters, as well as the Daily reporter, who told arresting officers he was in the building to report on the protest and displayed his press pass.
Police handcuffed protesters with zip ties and loaded them into vans. The Daily reporter was also handcuffed and transported in a van to the Santa Clara County Jail, where he — along with protesters — was booked and cited.
Our reporter is being falsely imprisoned on $20,000 bail, in violation of his rights as a reporter. His arrest constitutes a threat to the freedom of the press, including protection from unreasonable search and seizure, and we are disappointed in the actions of officers and the University.
The Daily is committed to independent and comprehensive student journalism. The Daily has established guidelines to preserve the editorial independence of our newsroom. The Daily does not prevent reporters and editors from engaging in peaceful protest, but participation is a conflict of interest. Daily staffers who participate in protests are barred from reporting or editing related coverage.
The second Daily staffer arrested at the president’s office is a news managing editor. She has not been involved in any coverage related to the Israel-Gaza war due to an established conflict of interest on this issue. She did not disclose to executive editors her intent to participate in today’s occupation. While we have not spoken with the editor since her arrest, appropriate action will be taken.
We plan to update the community as more information becomes available.
Kaushikee Nayudu, Editor in Chief
Emma Talley, Executive Editor
Jessica Zhu, Executive Editor