HUFS bans student paper for criticizing alumni
/Courtesy of HUFS
By Lee Han-soo
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) is under fire for removing the latest issue of its student newspaper from campus newsstands over stories criticizing graduates recently appointed to high-ranking positions in state-run news outlets.
About 5,000 copies were removed, according to the paper’s reporters.
In the latest issue, the paper criticized the two graduates -- Ko Dae-young, CEO of TV station KBS, and Park No-hwang, CEO of news agency Yonhap -- for allegedly wielding inappropriate influence on the broadcaster’s personnel affairs and intervening in the newsroom’s editorial rights, respectively.
The paper also questioned the justification of the two being recipients of “2016 HUFS” awards.
The school tried to justify the removal by saying it was to protect students.
“We have received complaints from our alumni about the articles,” a HUFS student affairs employee said. “If writers of the stories run into a legal dispute because of the stories, it would be bad for them, as well as for the school.”
Student reporters said there were no formal complaints from the HUFS alumni association or the CEOs.