Student journalist resigns after covering student reaction to Israel-Hamas war | NewsNation Live

PROTEST. >> RIGHT NOW. MORNING. ALL RIRIGHT. TOMDEMPSEY IN WASHINGTON. TOM, THANK YOU. TENSIONS ARE VERY HIGH ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES ACROSS THE COUNTRY WITH THE ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR ON GOING AND SOME UNIVERSITIES HAVE ATTRACTED STORIES BY STUDENT JOURNALIST. WE'RE TRYING TO COVER THE EFFECTS OF THE CONFLICT. JOINING ME NOW IS MATTHEW GOOD FRIENDS. THE FORMER EDITOR OF THE MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT NEWSPAPER AND HE RESIGNED AFTER HE WAS FORCED TO TAKE DOWN HIS ARTICLE ABOUT A STUDENT WORRIED ABOUT HIS FRIENDS IN ISRAEL. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. MATTHEW. APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AT YOU SAID THE EDITORS AND THE FACULTY ADVISER OF THE NEWSPAPER IGNORED YOUR PROTESTS ABOUT THE STATEMENT THEY PUBLISH SAYING FAILED IN YOUR REPORTING, WHICH IS THE WORST THING YOU CAN TELL A JOURNALIST THAT THEY GOT IT WRONG. WHAT WERE THOSE CONVERSATIONS LIKE. AND I WANT TO PUT UP ON THE SCREEN PART OF WHAT THEY SAID. THEY SAID IN RETROSPECT SIDELINES FAILED TO REPORT ON THE CASUALTIES. THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE HAVE SUFFERED AND FOCUSED ONLY ON DAMAGE DONE TO THE ISRAELI POPULATION. A PULL BACK THE CURTAIN FOR ME AND HOW TO DO CONFRONT THE FACULTY ABOUT THAT STATEMENT. >> YEAH. SO THAT WAS COMMON EVERY CONVERSATION WE HAD WHEN THEY WERE TRYING TO MAKE UP THE THEY WERE GOING PUT OUT ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED. THERE WAS NO PUSHBACK. I GOT FROM ANY OF THE EDITORS OR FROM OUR FACULTY ADVISER AFTER I PUBLISHED THE ARTICLE, THE PUSHBACK THAT I GOT FROM ONLY CAME AFTER WE GOT A BUNCH OF BACKLASH ABOUT THE INITIAL ARTICLE THAT I PUBLISH, WHICH WAS A STORY ABOUT A STUDENT WHO HAD FRIENDS UNTIL WAS WORRIED ABOUT THEM. AND AT'S ALL I REALLY WANTED TO SAY LIKE PEOPLE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT. PEOPLE ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES HAVE CONNECTIONS TO WHAT'S GOING ON OVER THERE. AND THAT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW. >> AND WAS THERE ANYTHING IN YOUR ARTICLE THAT DID NOT FACTUAL BACKING AND EVIDENCE. >> NO, I DON'T THINK SO. I MEAN, I THAT WAS ONE OF THE POINTS TRY TO MAKE MONEY. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LEAVING OUT THE PALESTINIAN CASUALTY COUNTS. SO MANY OF THESE NUMBERS THAT YOU SEE IT COME FROM KIND ISN'T TRUSTWORTHY SOURCES CREDIBLE SOURCES AND WE WANT TO, YOU KNOW, BE AS CREDIBLE AS WE CAN JOURNALIST. THAT WAS ONE OF MY CONCERNS. IT'S YOU KNOW, I TRIED TO KEEP THINGS AS BY THE BOOK AS >> AND YOU RESIGNED AS A RESULT OF ONE THEIR STATEMENT AND THEIR LACK OF SUPPORT FOR FOR YOUR JOURNALISTIC INTEGRITY AND WHAT YOU PUT FORTH IN YOUR ARTICLE. IT WAS THAT A DIFFICULT DECISION FOR YOU TO MAKE TO STEP DOWN FROM SOMETHING. I WOULD IMAGINE YOU ENJOY TO DO AT YOUR SCHOOL. >> YES, IT WAS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT. >> IT WAS NOT MADE LIGHTLY I REALLY DO ENJOY WORKING FOR SIDELINES. AND I MEAN, I DON'T I DON'T THINK ANY OF THE MURDER ANTI-SEMITIC. I NEVER CLAIM. NOW, I DON'T THINK THEY'RE BAD PEOPLE BY ANY MEANS. I JUST I THINK THAT THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE OF THE INFLUENCE THAT THE OUTSIZE INFLUENCE IN ANTI-SEMITISM HAS ON CALL CAMPUSES EVEN PLACES THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULDN'T SUSPECT LIKE, YOU KNOW, A PLACE LIKE MTSU IN A RED LIKE TENNESSEE. SO. >> YOU'RE CONTINUING TO WRITE, THOUGH. I UNDERSTAND YOU'RE WRITING FOR THE COLLEGE FIX NOW. HOW ARE YOU APPROACHING YOUR WORK AS A JOURNALIST NOW GIVEN THIS EXCHANGE THAT YOUR FORMER PAPER. >> JUST TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, ALWAYS TELL THE TRUTH TALK ABOUT THE TOPICS THAT I THINK NEED TO BE TALKED ABOUT. AND THAT'S THAT'S THE GAME JOURNALS. AND, YOU KNOW, I'M JUST SAY WHAT NEEDS TO BE SAID EVEN IF THE CONSEQUENCES KIND OF LOVING YOUR FACE SOMETIMES SWITCH LEARNING HAPPENS. WHAT IN SCHOOL OR YOU MATTHEW. A SENIOR HAIR AND TISSUE, OK, AND WHAT HAVE YOU WITNESSED ON CAMPUS AS A RESULT OF THE ISRAEL-HAMAS CONFLICT. YOU SEEN? >> ANTI-SEMITISM AND WHAT ARE THE CONVERSATIONS YOU'RE HAVING WITH YOUR CLASSMATES. >> SO WHEN WE INITIALLY POSTED THE ARTICLE THERE WERE A NEARLY ALL OF THE COMMENTS THAT WE GOT TO THE INITIAL INSTAGRAM POST. WE'RE FROM STUDENTS WHO ARE OF THE FREE PALESTINE MENTALITY. THEY WERE ALL YOU KNOW, AGAINST THE PERSPECTIVE THAT WAS PUT FORWARD BY THE STUDENT IN THE ARTICLE LOT OF NASTY THINGS WERE SAID. IT WAS TAKEN DOWN. I TOOK IT DOWN BECAUSE HE REQUESTED THAT I DO SO OUT OF CONCERN FOR HIS SAFETY. THIS IS THE STUDENT YOU WROTE ABOUT YES, RIGHT. >> AND NOW WHAT IS NEXT FOR YOU AND YOUR LESS THAN A YEAR AWAY FROM GRADUATING. HOW HAS THIS SITUATION INFLUENCED WHAT YOU'LL DO NEXT. >> I'VE BEEN I'VE BEEN DOING A BIT THINKING. IT'S IT'S PUT A LOT OF THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE, BUT I THINK NO MATTER WHAT I DO, I WANT TO TRY TO KEEP TELLING THE TRUTH AND TALKING ABOUT THINGS THAT I THINK ARE IMPORTANT AND THAT MATTER.