The Stanford University student journalist who was arrested last summer while covering a campus protest will not face any charges, the Santa Clara County District Attorney announced on March 6.
The student, Dilan Gohill, was reporting for the Stanford Daily when the group of 12 individuals he was embedded with broke into an administrative building on June 4 and barricaded themselves inside the building, which houses the provost offices. As part of its pro-Gaza demonstration, the group vandalized the building by breaking a window and door frames, splashing fake blood and breaking furniture, according to university officials.
The university estimated that group caused about $700,000 in damages.
Stanford had initially suspended Gohill and banned him from campus but later rescinded the suspension and confirmed that he will not face any further disciplinary action.
Now the DA has reached a similar conclusion.
“This Office supports a free press and recognizes that the law gives reporters latitude to do their jobs in keeping the public informed,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “We have no evidence that this student did anything other than cover this event as a journalist.”
Gohill’s case was taken up by various press organizations, including the First Amendment Coalition and the Student Press Law Center, which had called on the DA to “avoid expending significant resources prosecuting a young journalist who was acting in good faith to serve the public’s interest in timely coverage of newsworthy events.”
The Stanford Daily, where he now serves as an editor, has also championed Gohill’s cause and urged the DA not to pursue felony burglary, vandalism and conspiracy charges against the journalist. In March, the newspaper’s editors published a public letter expressing its commitment to Gohill’s freedom as a member of the press and urging the DA not to file charges.
“The pursuance of charges against him is not only unfair, it threatens the mission of student journalism,” the letter stated.
The DA’s office is still reviewing the actions of the other students who participated in the protest, according to Rosen. After the review, the office will decide whether to file criminal charges, Rosen said.
