It is a very serious thing when a major American university succumbs to pressure from the government and police, and agrees to censor the words of a political dissident. It means that we are not so far removed as we thought from those countries where the police shut down campuses and arrest professors for their political views.
This is the meaning of Temple University's decision to have its radio station WRTI-FM suddenly drop Pacifica Radio's syndicated Democracy Now program on the very day that it was scheduled to air the first of Mumia's new recorded commentaries.
There is no excuse for Temple censoring Mumia's commentaries. It sits in Philadelphia's Black community, it has a large number of African-American students, it was where Huey P. Newton spoke to a huge audience when he was freed from prison, and it boasts faculty members like renowned poet Sonia Sanchez.
Nor does the excuse put out by the University, that the station had been planning all along to change its format, have the slightest ring of truth. In fact, WRTI loudly promoted the upcoming commentaries in its fund drive just before it dropped them, and station staff say that more contributions came in off Democracy Now than from any other programming.
WRTI feeds its programming to eight repeater transmitters around the state. So the censoring of Democracy Now and Mumia Abu-Jamal by Temple University effectively shut off an important source of alternative news and views to most of the state.
To complete the pattern of censorship, Pennsylvania prison officials have issued new regulations (known informally as "the Mumia rule") barring any future audio or video recording of imates in the state prisons.
Obviously some very heavy pressure was put on Temple University. It smacks of the 1994 censorship of Mumia by National Public Radio on the very day that his recorded commentaries were to be aired. Here the source of the pressure was open and flagrant: Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole denounced NPR on the floor of the Senate, quoting the Fraternal Order of Police and threatening to cut off NPR's federal funding.
Society of Professional Journalists: "These latest radio commentaries by Mumia Abu-Jamal should be heard by anyone interested in the views of a prisoner on death row."
National Campaign for Freedom of Expression: "The National Campaign for Freedom of Expression reiterates our support for the free speech rights of both Mumia Abu-Jamal and Pacifica Radio.
PEN American Center: "While we are not in a position to judge Mr. Abu-Jamal's guilt or innocence, and take no position on this matter, we support Mr. Abu-Jamal's efforts to express himself freely and make his views known to audiences beyond his prison."
ACLU: "The ACLU hailed Pacifica Radio's decision to air this new set of commentaries as an important statement of freedom of expression and the press." Academic Senate of San Francisco State University: "It is well known that Pennsylvania Governor Ridge is on record calling for the immediate execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal and he would not look kindly on a university that would let Mumia speak. The Academic Freedom Committee and the Executive Committee share the belief that this is a repression of knowledge and that universities should be in the forefront in attempting to pursue academic freedom and free discussion of issues."
Mumia Abu-Jamal: Do you need protection from my voice? Or do you need protection from your protectors?
SOURCES: New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, statements by WRTI, and statements by various organizations.
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