Dear Community,

Yesterday, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) filed a lawsuit against Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem on behalf of The Stanford Daily and two other individuals. The suit challenges two federal immigration laws that allow the government to revoke non-U.S. citizens’ visas for protected speech, including speech in student papers.

We understand the significance of the step we are taking as an independent student publication. Thus, we want to explain how we came to this decision and what it means for The Daily moving forward.

FIRE approached The Daily following a letter from the editors in which we identified growing concern among international students either in speaking to The Daily as a source or contributing as a writer or editor. Their trepidation stemmed from cases like Mahmoud Khalil’s and Rumeysa Ozturk’s, in which international students were targeted for speaking up on a political matter.

As a result of the administration’s actions, we saw a dramatic decrease in the number of international students willing to speak to The Daily. Those who did requested anonymity, which — while important to grant in some instances — can lead to declines in our overall credibility. Several international members of our own staff even left their positions at The Daily. Many of those who stayed requested to stop writing news articles related to protests or political events on campus and asked that their previous articles be taken off our website. 

As an independent student paper whose mission is to represent the voices of the Stanford community, this fear of the government directly impacts the quality of our work. With every resignation and refusal to speak on the record, we actively miss out on covering an entire group of students’ voices — as well as the many events and stories on campus that benefit from an international student’s perspective. 

So, after multiple meetings with The Daily’s board of directors and members of our own staff, we decided to move forward with the lawsuit. It was a decision we did not make lightly. 

This suit will not affect the quality of our journalism or how we function as a paper. We will continue to report on Stanford with diligence and care, review the cultural and artistic events that shape us, keep readers informed on University administration, provide and platform thoughtful opinions and produce the videos, crosswords, photos and graphics that tie our coverage together. As we enter the school year, we look forward to welcoming the next generation of student journalists and taking on more stories that matter. 

Importantly, the objectivity of The Daily will not be affected in any way by this lawsuit. This was not a political move — journalism exists to hold those in power accountable, regardless of who is in power. Our participation in this lawsuit has been to guard our First Amendment rights and ensure The Daily’s writers and editors can fulfill our mandate as a student paper: covering campus to the best of our abilities. The freedom for all students to speak with and contribute to The Daily is core to that mission.

Best,

Greta Reich ’26

Ananya Udaygiri ’26

Lauren Koong ’26