NEW BRITAIN, CT—Calling a strong independent press “absolutely vital” to a democratic society, the staff of The Recorder, Central Connecticut State University’s student-run newspaper, confirmed Friday they know exactly how they would respond if their freedom of expression were ever challenged. “We would refuse to back down even one inch if a situation ever arose in which our responsibility to inform the students of this campus was threatened by censorship,” said editor-in-chief Hannah Lowry, adding that the paper would move quickly to publish an open letter to school administrators—or whoever might attempt to infringe on their First Amendment rights—bearing the signatures of all the publication’s editors and reporters. “Any editorial we run would definitely include a quotation from Thomas Jefferson about the importance of a free press, and we would continue to cover the story on the front page for as long as necessary. We at The Recorder provide an important and necessary public service as journalists, and we must always strive to give a voice to the members of the Blue Devil community who have none.” The staff confirmed their response would also include a scathing editorial cartoon drawn by sophomore applied arts major Brian Thatcher.