NWU-Pukke paper closure: Cash constraints or censorship?

NWU-Pukke's management says the closure of its campus newspaper was due to financial problems, but its journalism lecturers have cried foul.

Journalism lecturers at the North-West University's (NWU) Potchefstroom campus are up in arms over a bombshell decision by the university's management to halt publication of a campus newspaper, which they maintain amounts to censorship and trampling on media freedom.

Kevin du Plessis, editor of Wapad a paper whose first edition was published in 1946 received the news on Monday morning that the marketing department decided to suspend publication of the newspaper. The reason given was that the paper was in debt of nearly R80000, a bill that the department is not prepared to foot.

The timing to pull the plugon the paper also raises eyebrows as it comes during a week Du Plessis was to publish a story about his assault last weekend, allegedly by a second-year student. Du Plessis told the Mail & Guardianhis alleged assailant accused him of failing to endorse patriotism promoted at Veritas students' residence in the paper.

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NWU-Pukke paper closure: Cash constraints or censorship?