A confrontation between members of the media and student activists has sparked debate at the University of Missouri, a campus already embroiled in a controversy over race.

A video posted to YouTube on Monday shows Missouri students and faculty trying to restrict media access to a tent encampment used by activists who have complained of racism on the overwhelmingly white campus.

In the video, protesters surround Tim Tai, a student photojournalist hired by ESPN to cover the protests, and push him away from the tents used by the activist group, which calls itself "Concerned Student 1950."

Protesters can be heard chanting, "Hey, hey, ho, ho, reporters have got to go," as they block Tai's camera and prevent him from moving toward the encampment. The journalist counters by telling activists that the First Amendment protects his right to photograph in a public space.

"I'm trying to take pictures, trying to get the scene," Tai told CNNMoney. "Immediately they start putting their hands up, blocking my shot. They say, 'You can't be on the grass,' which is patently absurd."

Faculty members also get into the mix. The video shows a woman, who appears to be Melissa Click, an assistant professor of mass media, trying to get another reporter to leave the university quad.