If the press won’t paint you in a positive light, just bully them into it. Isn’t that the underlying message here?

Mediaite reports.

Campus #BlackLivesMatter Protest Bans Reporters, Unless They ‘Articulate Their Solidarity’

Reporters were banned from a Smith College sit-in supporting the #BlackLivesMatter protesters at the University of Missouri… unless they “articulate their solidarity” with their movement, that is.

Masslive.com’s Laura Newberry was sent to cover the protest at the Massachusetts women’s college. But Newberry writes that “reporters who arrived at the sit-in were met with a clear message: Keep out. ”

“We are asking that any journalists or press that cover our story participate and articulate their solidarity with black students and students of color,” a protest leader told Newsberry. “By taking a neutral stance, journalists and media are being complacent in our fight.” She also complained that “[the] media has historically painted radical black movements as violent and aggressive.”

Stacey Schmeidel, Smith College director of media relations, said the college supported the activists’ decision. “It’s a student event, and we respect their right to do that, although it poses problems for the traditional media,”she said.