Media Policy
Policies for News Media Access as well as the Use of Photographic Equipment on the Notre Dame Campus
The University of Notre Dame is a place that encourages discussion, research and freedom of expression. The Office of News and Information operates on the principle that this is an open campus where restrictions on news media personnel should be limited. But respect for the privacy of our students, faculty and staff, and occasional mitigating circumstances, require that we set some rules regarding access. Among them are:
- News-gathering personnel, including television camera crews, are free to enter the campus without permission, though they are expected to obey campus parking and other regulations.
- Still and video photography on campus from which images will be used for commercial profit or distribution, or any use other than reporting for an accredited news media outlet, must be approved in advance by the Office of News and Information.
- The use of still or video images from the campus for advocacy of political positions or candidacies is prohibited.
- Entry to classrooms, offices and places of worship by news gathering personnel must be cleared in advance either with occupants of the respective offices, the professor in charge of a class, or the Office of News and Information. Use of cameras in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the Grotto, or other chapels is restricted and permission must be obtained through the Office of News and Information.
- Access to all residence halls is strictly prohibited without prior permission of the Office of News and Information or the hall rector.
- University news conferences often will be held in the Eck Visitors’ Center and vehicles should be legally parked in the adjacent visitor parking lot. In other locations when trucks must be parked near the scene of coverage, parking should be worked out in advance with the Office of News and Information, which will consult with Notre Dame Security Police. For coverage of stories nearby, parking of TV trucks will be permitted in the Circle near the Morris Inn for a limited period of time, but a prior call to the Office of News and Information is advised. Similarly, on football practice days (but not game days) parking for a limited time on the Stadium apron at the southeast corner will be permitted.
In times of emergency, all of the above regulations and policies may be suspended or altered.
