Ghost of Paris

FIRE is deeply troubled by @UNC’s decision to condemn satire and announce an investigation into protected student expression. The @dailytarheel, which is editorially and financially independent from the university, published satirical April Fool’s articles with headlines like “Trump Orders Alcohol Law Enforcement in Chapel Hill Replaced with ICE Agents” and “UNC Brings Back DEI-For Whites.” After calls for takedowns from student groups and the student body president, the paper took the articles down and its editor-in-chief apologized. Hill After Hours, a separate registered student group, also posted and deleted a TikTok sketch satirizing a stereotypical white student walking through an area of campus where predominantly students of color have historically lived. In response, Senior Vice Provost James Orr issued a university statement condemning the satirical content and announced the university was investigating Hill After Hours. That is not the role of a public university. Students and student journalists do not lose their First Amendment rights because their speech is offensive, unpopular, or badly received. Critics are free to answer with more speech. UNC is not free to answer it with condemnation and investigation. UNC-Chapel Hill’s response also raises serious concerns under North Carolina law, which requires UNC System institutions to remain neutral on “the political controversies of the day.” A university cannot claim neutrality while taking an official side against protected student expression. UNC-Chapel Hill must retract its statement and end the investigation. Offense is not license to police protected expression.