February 12th, 2010
Trying to stomp out the student press
By Andy Schotz
As much as I dislike the nastiness of anonymous comments, trying to shut down a school newspaper that allows them is a whole new level of harm.
The staff of Virginia Tech’s Collegiate Times must be allowed the freedom to practice and learn journalism and the difficult decisions inherent to the craft. One of those decisions is taste and decorum in opinion – choosing where to draw the line in comments in print and online.
The Foundation for Indvidual Rights in Education is correct. The standards of civility, sensitivity and respect in expression are ideal, but should be aspirational.
Silencing a student newspaper is a drastic step, beyond disrespectful. It’s Draconian.
Tags: Anonymous comments, Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, Virginia Tech
February 14th, 2010 at 6:43 pm
Update: Virginia Tech has retracted its threat and won’t pull funding: http://bit.ly/dbpacS
February 14th, 2010 at 6:49 pm
That’s good news. Thanks for the update, Scott.
February 20th, 2010 at 2:13 am
Just be aware, that you should put 10% of your funding into a private trust for the next ten years, and at the end of that time, take the student paper out of the grasp of the administration. Use the trust fund to finance an off campus office, and the first three years of operations. Keep editors on for one year after graduation to train new editors and seek grant funding in addition to normal advertisement.