The father of slain journalist Daniel Pearl has come out swinging at the school named after his son, urging Daniel Pearl Magnet High School and the Los Angeles Unified School District to reconsider its decision to suspend an adviser of the school’s newspaper over an article. The story in question was published by the student-run newspaper, The Pearl Post, in fall of last year and named an unvaccinated librarian who had opted out of receiving the jab, resulting in the closure of the school library. The librarian requested her name be removed from the story, which the students, after consulting with an attorney, denied. Journalism teacher and newspaper adviser Adriana Chavira now faces a three-day suspension after refusing to meet the school’s demands to remove the librarian’s name, but she has some serious allies on her side. In a statement along with Daniel Pearl’s father, Judea Pearl, the Los Angeles Press Club celebrated Chavira and said she was “respected by her peers from a decade-long reporting career” and claimed “she’s supported by the local journalism community. That includes the Los Angeles Press Club, and most notably the Pearl family.” Adding his voice, Judea Pearl, whose son Daniel was kidnapped and murdered in Pakistan while on assignment for The Wall Street Journal, said: “I admire Adriana and all she’s done to inspire her students. I don’t want her to face any disciplinary action for allowing her students to tell the truth. I only want what’s best for the students and the school, which is why I hope they will reconsider this decision.”
