Student journalism at the University of Alabama has taken a hit as school officials ended two student-led magazines for allegedly violating new federal guidance targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
Nineteen Fifty-Six, which highlighted Black student life, and Alice, which focused on women’s issues, were both shut down with immediate effect. Editors were informed that their content direction was flagged under a July memo from Attorney General Pamela Bondi, which redefined federal funding restrictions related to perceived discrimination.
Gabrielle Gunter, who led Alice, said the university’s move felt like a direct attack on press freedom.
“I was under the impression that we were protected by freedom of the press and the First Amendment,” she said.
Kendal Wright, head of Nineteen Fifty-Six, called the closure disheartening but not entirely unexpected, citing a wider trend in policy rollbacks.
University officials claimed that the magazines’ target audiences could be seen as proxies for race or sex, something the Bondi memo now defines as a legal concern for federally funded schools.
A campus spokesperson stated that while student expression remains valued, new programming must be legally compliant. A new magazine is set to launch with a more general focus.
The news follows previous decisions to shut down spaces for the Black Student Union and LGBTQ+ center, part of the state’s broader anti-DEI legislation.
As editors passed out their final issues to students, Gunter said, “I’d rather the students get the last copies instead of they get thrown away somewhere when they pack up our office.
