After a student journalist was ousted from a crowd of protestors at the University of Missouri, it has been discovered that one of the protesters calling for "muscle" to remove the cameraman was a professor of Mass Communications at the university.
Professor Melissa Click has stepped down from her post as assistant professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Missouri. Her position involved serving on student thesis panels, not teaching.
“Journalism school faculty members are taking immediate action to review [her] appointment,” Dean David Kurpius said in a statement released Tuesday.
Click announced her resignation of her appointment in the journalism school on Twitter late last Tuesday.
Click’s involvement in the ousting of student journalist Tim Tai was revealed by Twitter user Dylan Byers (@dylanbyers) in a tweet reading, “The woman who tells cameraman he can’t be there & asks for “muscle” to remove him is Mizzou Assistant Professor of Mass Media @melissaclick.”
Click’s Twitter account has since been set to private, causing students and the public alike to question her dedication to journalism and transparency.
The protesters were requesting a media-free "safe space" to protest, despite protesting in a public space. Tai was attempting to report on the event.
The communication department and journalism school defended the rights of the press in an announcement to protesters on Monday.
Months of protests revolving around incidents of racism on campus have led to the resignation of two university leaders. A graduate student went on hunger strike, and the final threat of the football team, whose players are largely people of color, going on strike is what brought the resignations to light.
Protesters still ask for more of their school system, and rightfully so. Racism is inexcusable and students deserve to feel safe on campus.
What media tried to turn into a protesters versus media incident, sometimes mocking the use of the phrase "safe spaces" and calling out protesters for allegedly demanding zero media presence has been disproved. On Tuesday, leaders of the student protesters distributed flyers stating, “Media has a First Amendment right to occupy campsite.”
Campuses across the nation are joining the Concerned Student 1950 movement. What is happening at the University of Missouri is happening across the country; the fight for equality in school systems didn't stop in the 1960s.
The following was released in a statement by Melissa Click on Tuesday:
"Yesterday was a historic day at MU — full of emotion and confusion. I have reviewed and reflected upon the video of me that is circulating, and have written this statement to offer both apology and context for my actions...I have reached out to the journalists involved to offer my sincere apologies and to express regret over my actions. I regret the language and strategies I used, and sincerely apologize to the MU campus community, and journalists at large, for my behavior, and also for the way my actions have shifted attention away from the students’ campaign for justice."
