From her article:
The student newspaper at Florida A&M University has been
suspended from publishing, its adviser removed and its staff told they must
reapply for their positions by the dean of FAMU’s School of Journalism and
Graphic Communication.
FAMU administrators declined to comment beyond a brief
statement. The statement cites a libel lawsuit as one of the things that
prompted the publication’s suspension. Last month, the paper was sued for
defamation for an article it published following the hazing death of FAMU drum
major Robert Champion.
The December 2011 article incorrectly stated that Keon
Hollis, a fellow drum major, had been suspended in connection with Champion’s
hazing death. No disciplinary action was taken against Hollis, according to a
correction published by the paper in February 2012. The original article has
been removed from the paper’s website.
[Ann Kimbrough], who took over as dean last August, said in an
interview that she’s been told that the reporter who wrote the piece in
question was not enrolled at the university, which is a requirement for working
on student publications. She said the reporter said the information came from
“reliable sources,” but that he wouldn’t identify who the sources were.
“The adviser’s situation was something that happened and
occurred long before I arrived,” Kimbrough said. “It was something that I
inherited. This removal was already to be.”
Skerritt, who has advised the paper for four-and-a-half
years, declined to comment on the reasons he was given for his removal. He
remains an assistant professor of journalism at the school.
“We want to do whatever we can to prepare our students to be
the best journalists they can be,” Skerritt said. “I’m glad to have had the
chance to do that.”
Read the full article here.