Ever mindful of the little guy, Guido read with some interest a report recently of a university student union going to court to silence its own student newspaper. The Guardian reported two weeks ago:

“Edinburgh University Students’ Association, a charity independent of the University, has been granted an interim interdict (the Scots version of an injunction) preventing publication of an edition of the weekly paper carrying a story based on those confidential documents. The content of the documents cannot be disclosed by anyone because of the interdict and it is not unusual to obtain such orders in confidentiality cases. What is unusual is the breadth of order sought by the Eusa, which asked for an interdict because of the reputational harm it would do to the body. It asked for an interdict preventing publication of any material that suggests the Eusa is poorly governed and whose management is inexperienced and unaccountable.”

Guido has got hold of the confidential documents in question that can be read here. He’s not quite sure how the judge thought that an article posted on the blog of the student directly responsible for the provision of services entitled “Why We Spit In Your Drinks” was not in the public interest. The elected official in question, a Max Crema, backed the legal action. Unsurprisingly…