The 10th annual First Amendment Free* Food Festival enjoyed sunny skies and lots of people willing to give up free speech for free pizza on Monday.
Organizer Tammy Merrett confirmed that The Kingdom of the Socialist States of the People’s Republic of Mass Communica ran out of pizza at a record-early hour and 15 minutes, after 80 people signed away their First Amendment rights for a free meal and got a demonstration of what life might be like in a place without free speech. Protesters snuck into Mass Communica to share the student newspaper, as did evangelists for the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster in an effort to proselytize. Any protests or opinions were properly squashed by the Alestle Goon Squad, reminding us what we aren’t allowed to do when the First Amendment is not in play.
Below are photos of the staff of the Alestle and participants in the festival, some protesting and others quashing protest.
Tammy Merrett, Alestle advisor and SPJ vice president, rallies the troops
Two of Alestle’s newer staffers join the goon squad
Mass Comm Chair Musonda Kapatamoyo, joining the protests
Student journalist-goon Dylan Hembrough
Graduating journalist Gabe Brady threatens protester Chloe Wolfe
SPJ president Elizabeth Donald slips in a subversive message
Gabe Brady prepares to enforce authority
The St. Louis Society of Professional Journalists is proud to be a co-sponsor of the festival, along with the SIUE Department of Mass Communications, the Alestle and College Media Advisers. For the rest of the week, SIUE Mass Comm will host a number of special events, including discussions of the impact of artificial intelligence on mass communications, the media’s role in LGBTQ representation, and the practical applications of journalism ethics in the 21st century media landscape. Click here for a full schedule.