SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Dave Koehler has advanced legislation that will help strengthen press protections for public media produced at state-supported colleges and universities in Illinois.
“Journalism is what keeps our local and state officials in check,” said Koehler (D-Peoria). “To deny editorial independence for our budding college journalist would be doing a disservice to our communities.”
House Bill 4420 would modify the College Campus Press Act to define public media produced at a state-supported institution of higher learning. The measure states that public media at these institutions would not be subject to prior review by the institution's public officials, and expression by employees or agents producing the media would not be considered speech attributable to the institution itself.
The bill would also allow an employee or agent of an entity that creates or distributes public media at a state-supported institution of higher learning to bring a civil action for injunctive or declaratory relief if the act is violated.
“We must allow our aspiring journalist to carve out a path for themselves,” Said Koehler. “Journalists are the first line of protection in democracy and that has never been more important than now.”
House Bill 4420 passed the Senate Wednesday and now moves to the governor’s desk.
