Discuss, not suppress, controversial ideas
Monday, Apr. 21, 2008 @ 11:16 pm
Student newspapers have a knack for the offensive.
Whether it’s a “Fuck Bush” editorial or a column about sex, there’s usually some sort of controversy surrounding a student-run publication whether the community it serves likes it or not. But then again, that’s the beauty of it all.
The Rebel Yell, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas student newspaper, provoked an uproar last month when it ran a column by its opinion editor, Sharief Ali, about the March shooting in a west Jerusalem seminary that left eight Israeli students dead.
“But one must be honest,” Ali wrote, “after the destruction the Israeli military inflicted on the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, this was hardly a surprise.”
The newspaper received dozens of letters of protest, including one from Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev. Some readers were also calling for editor in chief Nur Kausar’s resignation.
The week the controversial piece ran, about 3,000 copies of the Rebel Yell were found in a dumpster, the Rebel Yell later reported.
While the controversy surrounding the op-ed piece was both healthy and probably expected, the calls for resignations and retractions were not.
Newspapers, including The Nevada Sagebrush, have the duty of printing opions and raising issues that affect readers—even if they are controversial. The idea is to inspire conversation.
The Nevada Sagebrush is no stranger to controversy. Sex columnist Erin Granat received much criticism in 2005 for writing honest opinions on one-night stands and dating, topics that affect college students nationwide every day.
Columnists Alexis Gray, Josh Gabe and Karah Lucas also received criticisms for their blunt but important opinions on sexuality. Even Jordan C. Butler’s column last week on feminism and gender roles in sexuality generated new waves of anger.
Abortion, rape, anal sex, homosexuality, prostitution, STDs, sex slaves and other topics probably make most people cringe, but they are very present in society and have important long-reaching consequences. By removing the taboo associated with these topics we can better tackle the problems they present.
But we welcome the controversy. Controversy means that people are talking and thinking about the topics at hand. All opinions, even those in the minority, should have a place in the public forum.
We don’t expect you to agree with the opinions in this newspaper. We also don’t except you to stay quiet if you disagree with something you read.
What’s important is that there’s a discussion about the idea presented – not about suppressing it.
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© 2008 The Nevada Sagebrush
June 12th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
Wow, I’m glad to see the good ol’ “Sex in the Biggest Little City” from back in 2005 is still being talked about. The uproar and criticism we received still astonishes me to this day. I remember a certain very high ranking UNR administrator suggesting quite frankly to then editor Alex Newman that she just “shut me up.” But I was a fully liberated college female, and I just didn’t give a damn. Some of my article topics even make me blush these days now that I’m a professional rather than an undergrad. But at least people started paying attention!