2008 Woodie Awards
Journal staff weighs in
Issue date: 11/16/07 Section: Post
- Page 1 of 1
For many of us, censorship is a struggle that we have only read about in history books and that we are only reminded of when we come face to face with it in our personal lives. On Nov. 10, the 13 members of the Western Oregon Journal staff experienced censorship first hand when issues of the Journal were hidden by members of our admissions office.
Censorship by definition is the "institution, system, or practice of censoring" which is "to examine in order to suppress or delete anything considered objectionable."
We at the Journal feel that given the above definition of censorship, those parties who chose to move copies of the Journal did in fact commit an act of censorship by suppressing it's content because of its undesirable and/or offensive nature.
The moment that the admissions staff removed our papers they took away our readers right to read the paper. The prospective students and their families did not have to read the Journal, but they could have if they so chose. Instead, the admissions office felt that choice was too great for their families to make. Fortunately it was not the admission office's decision to make.
Theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's freely-given consent.
The Western Oregon Journal is a student newspaper and as such, the admissions office stole the students' newspapers. It is irrelevant whether David McDonald claims that they had intended to return the papers after Preview Day had concluded. Their actions should not be excused because they admitted to stealing and then promised that they had hoped to return the Journal after the fact.
We feel this act was completely unacceptable and deplorable.
Secondly, from our staff and editorial meetings to the finals hours of production night, the staff of the Western Oregon Journal puts in countless hours of work and dedication to create a newspaper by the students and for the students. Each week we put out a finished product, and despite our missed commas and misspellings, we take great ownership in what we do. It is disheartening to know that despite our hard work, members of our admissions office deemed the Journal unworthy of viewing simply because they thought our content was too controversial.
We at the Journal would like to remind ALL of our readers that freedom of speech extends beyond an individual's beliefs of what is acceptable and what is not. We ask each of you to take a closer look at your values, remain strong in them, but always remember that every voice, whether in line with your ideals or not, has the right to be heard.
Lastly, the Journal would like a public apology made on behalf of those responsible for this disrespectful act, an acknowledgement that this particular course of action was unacceptable and a guarantee that it will never happen again.
The Journal Staff
Censorship by definition is the "institution, system, or practice of censoring" which is "to examine in order to suppress or delete anything considered objectionable."
We at the Journal feel that given the above definition of censorship, those parties who chose to move copies of the Journal did in fact commit an act of censorship by suppressing it's content because of its undesirable and/or offensive nature.
The moment that the admissions staff removed our papers they took away our readers right to read the paper. The prospective students and their families did not have to read the Journal, but they could have if they so chose. Instead, the admissions office felt that choice was too great for their families to make. Fortunately it was not the admission office's decision to make.
Theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's freely-given consent.
The Western Oregon Journal is a student newspaper and as such, the admissions office stole the students' newspapers. It is irrelevant whether David McDonald claims that they had intended to return the papers after Preview Day had concluded. Their actions should not be excused because they admitted to stealing and then promised that they had hoped to return the Journal after the fact.
We feel this act was completely unacceptable and deplorable.
Secondly, from our staff and editorial meetings to the finals hours of production night, the staff of the Western Oregon Journal puts in countless hours of work and dedication to create a newspaper by the students and for the students. Each week we put out a finished product, and despite our missed commas and misspellings, we take great ownership in what we do. It is disheartening to know that despite our hard work, members of our admissions office deemed the Journal unworthy of viewing simply because they thought our content was too controversial.
We at the Journal would like to remind ALL of our readers that freedom of speech extends beyond an individual's beliefs of what is acceptable and what is not. We ask each of you to take a closer look at your values, remain strong in them, but always remember that every voice, whether in line with your ideals or not, has the right to be heard.
Lastly, the Journal would like a public apology made on behalf of those responsible for this disrespectful act, an acknowledgement that this particular course of action was unacceptable and a guarantee that it will never happen again.
The Journal Staff
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