Photo by Aubrey Carr | The Crow’s Nest
By The Crow’s Nest Staff
Freedom of the press is part of the First Amendment. It allows journalists to report the news without government censorship.
Many elected officials on the state and federal levels may not remember this aspect of the First Amendment, so we’re here to remind them.
The Crow’s Nest began its service to the St. Petersburg campus in 1969, as the Bay Campus Bulletin. Since then, we have remained committed to upholding journalistic integrity and ensuring that students have the resources to stay knowledgeable about their campus and their city.
Student voices have always been at the core of every article. That will remain the case going forward.
In light of recent attacks on the First Amendment rights of American citizens and newspapers, The Crow’s Nest is affirming its position as an independent, student-led newspaper.
Censorship has made its way into the Tampa Bay area within the last year, especially in recent months.
Educational material like books and textbooks have been banned, and sociology as an academic discipline has been undermined in Gov. Ron Desantis’ war against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts.
In early September, St. Petersburg street murals that promote creativity and equality, such as the Woodson African American Museum’s “Black History Matters” mural, Grand Central’s “Progressive Pride” mural and USF St. Petersburg’s “Fluid Structures” were painted over. The erasure of street murals was a directive by the Florida Department of Transportation that has impacted cities all over Florida and was enforced with the threat of state funding losses. The Crow’s Nest staff witnessed the covering of “Fluid Structures” and were disheartened at the attempt to erase USF St. Petersburg’s creative voice.
Tampa Pride recently canceled its 2026 events due to “challenges with corporate sponsorships, reductions in county, state and federal grant funding, and the discontinuation of DEI programs under Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis,” the organization said.
Government censorship has also made its way into prominent media via the Pentagon’s new press access policy, which requires any reporting pertaining to the military be approved by the Pentagon and the White House, according to a recent statement released by NPR.
Like many major news outlets, NPR refused to sign the policy and “[urged] the Pentagon and the Administration to uphold freedom of the press and the American people’s right to know what is done in their name.”
Less overt means of censoring the media have been exemplified by The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (PBS) being defunded, the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel for comments he made on his show, which airs on ABC, and the firing of the student advisor of the Indiana Daily Student after he pushed back against Indiana University’s attempts to censor the independent, student run newspaper.
Students are concerned. We understand. We share those concerns.
The most effective way to combat censorship is through education. There are many resources available to help students in these troubling times.
The Crow’s Nest is one of those resources. We intend to keep students updated on the issues that impact them and platform their voices—whether on or off record—above all. And through an extensive pitching, reporting and editing process, each of our student journalists are dedicated to producing stories that educate and inform our peers.
We stand by USF students and intend to keep using our First Amendment rights so that we can bring students together and ward off government efforts to silence us
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Written by: Crow’s Nest Staff on October 20, 2025.
Last revised by: Alisha Durosier
