Posted on 02/15/2006 6:32:58 PM PST by sistergoldenhair
URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, ILL.
Two high-ranking editors of the student newspaper at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign were suspended Tuesday after they decided on their own to run some of the controversial cartoons that have sparked protests and outrage from Muslims around the world.
Acton Gorton, the editor in chief of the Daily Illini, and Chuck Prochaska, the opinions editor, said they stand behind their decision to print cartoons of the prophet Muhammad that were originally published by a Danish newspaper.
"I think it's unfortunate because what we did for our readership was something that most newspapers were scared to do," said Prochaska, 20, a junior from a suburb of Chicago. "I think Acton and I made a brave decision to publish the cartoons."
(Excerpt) Read more at stltoday.com ...
(1.) if the students had been earlier advised not to run the cartoons and did so despite the (faculty/administration) directive, then the students should be punished to some degree for bypassing the directive; (2.) I think the students have the right idea, however, and if they'd been advised not to run the photos, the advice is wrong for a myriad of reasons.
However, it's a student paper and students who work on those are still required to follow the directive of the owner (and that's the institution, not the students).
This seems to be an "administration vs. student/s" issue and the students, by doing the right thing journalistically, did the wrong thing as students. My sympathies to the students....they should consider starting their own paper, independent of the school or any other.
bttt
A moment of silence, please, for the passing of the freedom of speech and press.
I've heard the saying: "I may not agree with the things you say, but I'd die for your right to say them.". The motto of these folks is "I might agree with what you say but I'll prevent you from saying it so I don't get hurt."
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