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Anti-Racist Student-Led Revolt at U

Students have formed a “no media, safe space” to prevent the press from talking to the protesters after they succeeded in having the school’s president and chancellor both turning in their resignations within hours of each other.

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Black student leaders at the university say that administrators have ignored several instances of racism on campus, including the open use of racial slurs.

Norah O’Donnell spotlighted Melissa Click, “an assistant professor of mass media”, who along with “students, were telling the media – including a photography who confronted her – to back off”. Schierbecker was reportedly filming a confrontation between a student photographer and protesters.

A professor of assistant communications, Melissa Click, recruits “muscle” at one point to get rid of Schierbecker when he gets inside the perimeter, pushing his camera and yelling at him repeatedly to “get out”.

At the same time, Click’s behavior seems contradictory to what she posted on her Facebook page, where she was asking friends to help her get this story about student fighting racism at Mizzou to national media outlets.

Kayla Goldfarb, a political science and global studies junior at the University of Minnesota, spent her first year of college at the University of Missouri.

“I need a few muscle over here”, she says while pointing at the reporter.

Reporters tried to talk to members of the football team, whose boycott of an upcoming game and economic clout prompted the university’s president to resign. Recently, a Missouri student calling for Wolfe’s resignation staged a hunger strike, while members of the school’s football team refused to participate in team activities until changes were made.

The 6.5-minute video above shows student photographer Tim Tai being blocked from a public area of campus on Monday while on assignment for ESPN.

Many at the university distanced themselves from the actions of Ms Click and others who appeared to stop the media from working.

The episode is especially embarrassing for a university that houses the world’s first school of journalism, which is renowned as one of the best around (having bestowed a bachelor’s of journalism on this writer in 2001, for better or worse for its reputation).

“Obviously, (he) has a First Amendment right to cover a protest that is taking place in a public space and I think he acted professionally”, said Pete Marovich, an award-winning D.C. photojournalist who used to work in Harrisonburg, where JMU is located.

O’DONNELL: The photographer explained he had the right to take photos. To which the video journalist responded, “No, I don’t”.

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“The students need to understand that the people they are dealing with are not media professionals”. “Again, I wish to express my honest apology for my actions on Camahan Quad yesterday”. He continued leading the group in repeating after him, “It is our duty to fight for our freedom”.

Michael B. Thomas  Getty Images