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Blaszko's supporters at the press conference included two professors and representatives of various campus groups, including the Progressive Student Alliance, Latin-American Student Association, Muslim Student Association, Wambli Tokoda Native American Club, and PRIDE, the campus gay-rights organization.
The controversy shows no signs of dissipating.
Blaszko, a resident of Rocky Hill, says she was fired over her membership in the Youth for Socialist Action club and other forms of political activism, including Iraq War protests.
The Recorder, in its April 8 issue, published a statement that said Blaszko "was not fired for her personal beliefs, values, political leanings or otherwise," but because the newspaper's code of ethics mandates that "it is not acceptable for [an] editor to act on any political leanings, lest it create a real or perceived conflict of interest."
The commonly accepted rules of journalism ethics suggest that a newspaper is justified in disciplining or firing an editor who (for example) signs political petitions or takes part in political rallies. The Associated Press Managing Editors 1996 Statement of Ethical Principles says that for journalists, "Involvement in politics, demonstrations and social causes that could cause a conflict of interest, or the appearance of such conflict, should be avoided."
Blaszko maintained Wednesday, "This is a student-run paper, this isn't a for-profit corporation. Students need a forum to discuss issues." Asked if the student newspaper isn't a "training ground" for aspiring journalists, so its editors were thus being held to the standards they'd have to meet if they pursued journalism careers, she responded, "They shouldn't. This is the student paper, not a training ground for the journalism department. It's not an extension of the journalism department." The Recorder was more a "student club" than a newspaper, and "if this decision is allowed to stand, it sets a dangerous precedent on campus ... could 'non-political' clubs lose funding if they endorse or participate in an activity deemed 'political?'" she said.
Gilbert Gigliotti, chairman of CCSU's English department (which includes the journalism department), confirmed that The Recorder is unaffiliated with the journalism department.
From Blaszko's perspective, therefore, the controversy is not "Can a newspaper fire an editor for political activism" but "Can a student club dictate its members' level of political activism?"
The Recorder's code of ethics states: "Editors of The Recorder shall not participate in any form of student, local or national government and should be free of any ties to any political organization, campus-based or otherwise ... Staff members must relinquish all government and political organization positions before they can be considered for the position of editor."
Blaszko said, "When they hired me, I spoke to them about this. Dr. [Vivian] Martin [faculty adviser] and Melissa Traynor [editor-in-chief] ... said it wasn't going to be a problem. Then they removed me over this code of ethics."
Traynor could not be reached for comment. Martin said she is limited in how much she can say about the issue, though said she has no say in the paper's hiring or firing decisions. She said that students "can be a staff writer and belong to those [political] clubs, but to become an editor you have to step down."
Martin also addressed Blaszko's "it's a club, not a newspaper" argument: "That's their take on it. However ... the whole notion of the club is also very shaky - a newspaper can be sued for libel, and faces other liabilities."
Many speakers addressed the Blaszko case only obliquely, and spoke instead of past controversies at The Recorder, such as the 2007 incident where the paper published a pro-rape satire. Blaszko and her supporters also criticized the fact that The Recorder gets $30,000 per year from student fees. Alex Rodriguez of the Latin-American Student Association asked "Should my student activity fees have to go to the Recorder if I don't agree with them?"
Faculty adviser Martin said of this, "It's a media fee that all students pay ... it pays for the publication of the paper, and makes it possible for the paper to be distributed for free."
