Juicycampus.com has recently been a frequent news story. It is a gossip site, whose slogan states “Always anonymous…Always juicy…”
Juicy campus is full of anonymous sources posting on sexually explicit subjects as well as fellow students. The problem with the anonymousness of the site is that it only applies to the poster, not the person being talked about. The site, which includes an Indiana University chapter, is full of names of university members.
While the site is infamous for accusing innocent and naïve students of being “the biggest sluts on campus” there is plenty more gossiping going on. The site also accuses professors of sleeping with students and having STDs, which is an accusation that could very negative affect that professor’s career.
What’s the site’s excuse for all this “anonymous” posting? The first amendment of course. A California court agreed, backing up forums everywhere.
However, that ruling only protects California, leaving the rest of the world to fight for their rights. The first amendment was put in place to protect the public, not as an excuse to publicly humiliate peers and post slander.
So far, there have been a few arrests through Juicy Campus. Posts about school shootings are taken very seriously, and a few posters have been arrested. This is a very small number of users and has yet to discourage students from using the site.
Fighting against websites like Juicy Campus is protecting the first amendment’s reputation, because like the law also states everyone has the right to a good reputation.
- Kali Skiles
reviews editor
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