Texas State University: University Removes Student Newspaper Political Advertisements From News Racks

After The University Star, Texas State University’s independent, student-run newspaper, accepted and ran paid advertisements on its newsstands for a Democratic gubernatorial candidate in October 2026, Vice President for Marketing and Communications Sandy Pantlik told the newspaper that those advertisements violated TXST’s policy against electioneering. The University Star wrote a letter to Pantlik expressing its concerns with the university’s decision, but the university removed the posters on October 28. That same day, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Eric Algoe responded to the newspaper’s letter, admitting it had removed the advertisements to “enforce its policies..” FIRE’s Student Press Freedom Initiative wrote to TXST on October 29, urging the university to restore The University Star’s advertising posters to ensure the paper’s editorial independence and avoid further depriving it of necessary revenue.