Cursor, the TU/e has gone black. It is a protest by the editors against the ‘restriction of press freedom’ they experience. Cursor‘s journalists have been feeling restricted in their work for months.
The editors point to the university board and the editorial board. A revealing article by Cursor about conflicts of interest at the university caused the bomb to explode. It ultimately meant the dismissal of editor-in-chief Han Konings on Tuesday.
All messages on Cursor‘s website have been made illegible. In a statement, the editors of Cursor explain why. “Cursor experiences increasing pressure from the Executive Board of TU/e and the editorial board not to publish certain articles that are considered undesirable”.
That judgment also affected an article about conflicts of interest at the university just before the summer. According to the editorial board, the message ‘does not meet the information needs of the TU/e community’. Shortly afterwards, pressure was put on Cursor’s editor-in-chief to take another position within the organisation. This had already been urged in 2021 after the publication of another sensitive article.
University reputation
“We feel enormous uncertainty about the future of Cursor as an independent medium”, the editors wrote. This indicates that work is carried out in accordance with journalistic rules. All sources and facts are carefully checked, there is room for rebuttal. “Even when it concerns matters that are less favourable for the reputation of the university”.
Whistleblower
These arguments did not convince the university board, after which the editor-in-chief decided to withdraw the offending message due to the persistent pressure. The editor who exposed the conflict of interest in her article subsequently saw no other way than to expose the affair as a whistleblower.
On 26 June, she filed an official complaint with the university. He or she is then obliged to deal with the matter. But apparently that didn’t happen wholeheartedly. After many detours, the complaint ended up with the relevant committee, which will now hear those involved at the end of October.
Editor-in-chief gone
But even before the committee starts its hearing, the first victim already fell on Tuesday. Editor-in-chief Han Konings, who has led Cursor for more than 20 years, had to make way. He has been removed from his position with immediate effect.
“In this situation we cannot carry out our work properly”, the editors of Cursor write. They demand that the university magazine must be able to work without restrictions. A number of steps are necessary for this.
For example, the current editorial board must make way for a new, independent editorial board. Cursor‘s editorial staff also want to have a say in finding a new editor-in-chief.
Konings does not want to respond. He called in sick on Tuesday and will discuss the matter with his lawyer this Wednesday. Other parties involved could not be reached for comment late Tuesday evening.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
