Posted on 03/20/2008 3:09:38 PM PDT by lowbridge
Vandals Trash Bucknell's Conservative Newspaper
A student-run newspaper at Bucknell University was the target of vandals last month as over half of the copies in the paper's first press run were destroyed and/or removed from campus. The attack came as The Counterweight, Bucknell's conservative newspaper, highlighted criticism of the university's sponsorship of "Focus the Nation," a high-tech discussion on climate change.
"This vandalism is unacceptable," said Sarah Schubert, the paper's editor. Ms. Schubert believes the act "amounts to censorship.
"On a college campus, the free and vigorous exchange of ideas should be wholeheartedly defended by everyone," argued Ms. Schubert.
On Feb. 18, it was noticed that 1,000 copies of the newspaper had disappeared from campus. Upon receiving notification of the missing copies, Ms. Schubert immediately distributed an additional 500. Those, too, went missing.
When Ms. Schubert attempted to file a complaint with the university's Department of Public Safety, officials explained the papers did not have a price printed on them and therefore removing the papers could not be considered theft. An investigation, however, was eventually opened.
A week after the incident, Brian C. Mitchell, Bucknell's president, sent an e-mail to the community expressing his displeasure with the situation and condemning the apparent theft.
"This act of apparent theft and harassment undermines the right of The Counterweight, and in fact of all student publications, to express their views," Mr. Mitchell wrote.
The Counterweight publishes on a monthly basis and receives money from a mixture of alumni donations and student funding. The loss of 1,500 newspapers did impact the publication, but the Leadership Institute (LI), a conservative watchdog organization, stepped in and paid for a reprinting of the paper.
"We get about one or two of these incidents about every year," explained Ian Ivy, spokesperson for the LI. "This is one of the reasons the Leadership Institute exists: to combat the leftist monopoly that exists on campuses across the country."
Mr. Ivy contends conservatives are very much the minority on campus and often face roadblocks when engaged in policy debates or political discussions. And while other organizations attempt to train like-minded students in a conservative worldview, one of LI's main goal is to provide students with the armor necessary to engage in the battle of ideas.
Because of the hostility some conservatives face on campus, as demonstrated by Ms. Schubert's experience, the folks at LI are proud of how Ms. Schubert handled the situation.
"I am proud of the perseverance and professionalism displayed by the students at The Counterweight," said Morton Blackwell, president of the Leadership Institute. "Their paper is aptly named. These students challenge the leftist intolerance that dominates so many college campuses across America."
Joe Murray can be reached at jmurray@thebulletin.us.
Ahh open-mindedness
Another episode of the Leftist Socialists engaging in NAZI Brownshirt tactics.
This happens way too often.
Maybe time to fight back.
Welcome to the real world.
I think Ms. Schubert is woefully naive. The "free and vigorous exchange of ideas" is only tolerated among the fascist left that control every aspect of acedemic life in this country.
The nice little National Socialist Hitler Youth on the march again.
Typical Liberal Fascism, as Jonah Goldberg describes these vermin.
Same thing happened on my campus when I was in college. The general student newspaper printed an editorial condemning it. It stopped. I think the police encouraged them to knock it off before there was an incident.
"This act of apparent theft and harassment undermines the right of The Counterweight, and in fact of all student publications, to express their views," Mr. Mitchell wrote.
Sounds like this is a Conservative run institution.
Still more proof that liberals truly cannot tolerate "diversity," "free speech," or "open dialogue." They just want everyone to agree with them...or else.
I wonder why you hardly EVER hear of the opposite — liberal, left-wing papers being trashed and/or stolen? Why don’t the conservatives engage in this course of action? It DOES give one pause...SSZ
When you are in possession of "THE TRUTH," as liberals/Marxists believe they are, anyone daring to express an opposing view (or, sometimes, even a more nuanced version of their own views) can only be an impediment to the final implementation of the perfected state of human existence.
Such persons formerly were viewed as "reactionaries" and "counterrevolutionaries" fit only for the gulag or execution. In these more enlightened times, they are simply regarded as mentally ill (as would anyone who opposed the perfected state) and in need of a period of institutionalization. After a nice, long course of treatment with psychoactive drugs, they will be all better.
Nope, it’s not.
ho-hum. Just another example of fascists doing what they always do. Once again leftists prove that they can’t stand the competition of ideas. Of course that’s why they’re leftists....or more correctly fascists.
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