Campus Newspaper Fires Sole Conservative Columnist

self | 1/1/03 | Igor Birman

[calif_reaganite]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: IGOR BIRMAN
JANUARY 1, 2003

Campus Newspaper Fires Sole Conservative Columnist

DAVIS – In yet another attack on freedom of thought on college campuses, The California Aggie – a campus newspaper at the University of California, Davis has fired Igor Birman – its only conservative columnist, despite a contract lasting until the end of June 2003.

In his email announcing Birman’s dismissal, Fitzgerald Vo, the newspaper’s editor-in-chief cited “a tendency to enrage members of the opposing causes” as the reason for the columnist’s firing.

Birman’s column, The Right Stuff, provided the campus community with conservative commentary, expressing strong support for the war on terrorism and invoking a lively debate on issues ranging from the Israeli-Palestinian crisis to reparations for slavery. The Right Stuff was the only conservative column in the campus newspaper that, along with Birman, also hired three columnists to provide left-wing ideas and views.

To Birman, this latest attempt to silence the growing conservative movement on the UC Davis campus appears to be part of a trend that includes regular disappearances of conservative student publications and intimidation practices, such as obscene and threatening emails sent to prominent conservative students.

“I merely attempted to provide a conservative perspective to the UC Davis community in my column. My intentions never included forcing ideas on anyone. I am profoundly saddened now that the Aggie lost its only conservative voice. The most accessible marketplace of ideas on campus has been shut down. I guess my column was too threatening to the supremacy of liberal thought on campus,” Birman said.

Birman further added that he regards the Aggie’s decision to dismiss him as a breach of contract, since the latter contains an explicit clause setting June 30, 2003 as the termination date and giving the Aggie no power to dismiss Birman before then. “I am currently consulting with my legal counsel, and absent a retraction of the dismissal by the Aggie, I expect to file a breach of contract lawsuit against the parties involved.”

Birman may be reached at 530-754-3339. The dismissal notice and a copy of the contract will be provided upon request.

-30-

Email from the newspaper:
I hope you're having a good new year. Thanks for giving me the opportunity this year to edit your columns. Due to the increasingly tighter spaces in The Aggie and the relative impact of your column, I regret to inform you that I would have to cut your The Right Stuff Column.

This is due to several reasons, first of which is the dryness in your column's tone. I have told you several times that I would like to hear more of your voice in your columns, but that seems to be muddled in a lot of similarly versed right-wing rhetoric that I have heard before. Again, I would like a unique perspective, and you don't seem to provide it.

Secondly, the tone of your column seems to have a tendency to enrage members of the opposing causes. Judging from the range of feedback I have received, your column does not seem to spark dialogue, but anger that only increases a tit-for-tat response.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any more concerns or questions.

Sincerely,

Fitz Vo
________________________
Fitzgerald Vo
Editor in Chief
The California Aggie
25 Lower Freeborn Hall
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616
Phone: (530) 752-9887
Fax: (530) 752-0355
www.californiaaggie.com
editor@californiaaggie.com

[calif_reaganite]

This is how things are on our college campuses where political correctness and the endless ooze of liberalism know no bounds. Call or email the Aggie and express your disgust with them.

[The Obstinate Insomniac]

bump

[Mark]

Are you saying that the "progressive students" are not going to riot in the support of the 1st amendment?

[Lancey Howard]

ping

[Bryan]

Your experience was almost identical to mine. I was the token conservative at the campus newspaper of a large state university. The rest of the editorial board consisted of various degrees of flaming left-wingers.

It was 1990-91 and the invasion of Iraq occurred that year. The watershed event for me was writing a column criticizing the local gay rights organization for their hysterical tactics. The editor-in-chief was a bisexual, and a member of that organization.

I wrote the column in October and it wasn't published until February. I was only able to get it published by going over her head to the faculty advisor, who said to her. "Your conflict of interest here is obvious. You gave him a column to express his opinion. This is his opinion."

I'd like to see some of these columns of yours that Fitz Vo felt were so "dry." And may I say that stirring up people is what newspaper columns are all about. Sue their asses right off.

[rwfromkansas]

Thank you for posting this....I hope the moderator doesn't axe it or anything since it was posted by you and you wrote the article about yourself...

But anyway, I think you have given me my political column idea when I get back to college (which won't be until Jan. 12 and the first paper would not be until Feb. since there is an interterm class period between semesters). My column will focus on free speech in today's college campus and your situation would be a good thing to mention.

[BradyLS]

How'd a stand up guy like him get under the paper's radar to begin with?

[goldstategop]

The totalitarian Campus Left felt even a token conservative was too much. They want students to know the only opinion acceptable on campus is the party line they insist every one must toe, no deviations permitted. Welcome To UC Davis, Soviet America.

[babaloo999]

They'll be rioting because of the irresponsible journalism of this right wing hack, just as they did in Nigeria because of the irresponsible journalism concerning the Miss Universe pageant. </sarc>

[calif_reaganite]

Here ya go:

http://www.californiaaggie.com/_articles/4837.taf
http://www.californiaaggie.com/_articles/4718.taf
http://www.californiaaggie.com/_articles/4579.taf
http://www.californiaaggie.com/_articles/4492.taf
http://www.californiaaggie.com/_articles/4398.taf
http://www.californiaaggie.com/_articles/4275.taf

[rwfromkansas]

I write for my campus newspaper, but I go to a fairly conservative college (I write the political column). The liberal guy comes from Brazil and so hardly ever do we focus on domestic issues, which is beginning to wear on me a bit. I do not work under a contract or anything; I simply am asked by the Editor to write prior to each issue. But, I am the only one he has asked to write the column for the right since I wrote the first one (another guy was doing it before)....:)

[calif_reaganite]

Good luck to you. I'd be more than happy to help by providing instances of conservative views being suppressed at UCD. Email me at iabirman2000@yahoo.com with any questions.

[TLBSHOW]

http://www.cornellreview.org/

[Grampa Dave]

There should be zero tax $'s earmarked for this leftists toilet tissue. It ain't fit to be a fishwrap.

Sierra, I bet that this doesn't suprise you that UC Havana/Davis dropped its one conservative writer.

[adaven]

Wow, those are some great articles!

[vbmoneyspender]

going to law school at UC Davis is what turned me into a conservative.

One of the funnier moments during my time there was spent in my labor law class. While I was reading the newspaper in the back of the class one day, a female student who was black began complaining about how a number of lesbian law students were always talking to her about how they understood her plight because they were oppressed too. This female student indicated to the professor, who was very liberal in her views and who was also gay, that this was ridiculous and that she didn't appreciate gay students trying to equate the oppression they were suffering with the oppression that blacks were sufferring. This caused a big uproar among the students in the class except for all of the white guys at the back of the class (please note that this was a required class) who kept their mouths firmly shut for the next 45 minutes. Anyway, once the bell had rung, the students who were interested in the issue of who was more oppressed kept right on arguing, while us less interested folk evacuated the area. BTW, I actually felt sorry for the professor during this brouhaha because it was clear that she didn't know how to handle the situation. Basically, the prof couldn't appear to support either side for fear that she might be mau-mau-ed by her fellow liberals for either not supporting the gays students (against the minority students) or the minority students (against the gay students).

[Brian Allen]

Despite that your column simply rehashes the same old right-wing rethoric that we of the envy-motivated and hatred and rage-driven community don't read and/or are bored with [And/or fear may be TRUE!] -- we of the envy-motivated and hatred and rage-driven community have elected to, voluntered to and have chosen to TAKE offense at your stuff.

And, in accordance with the post-modernist absense of logic by which we order and/or float though our lives, [Take your pick] you must be held responsible for our actions.

Get it?

[Brian Allen]

Despite that your column simply rehashes the same old right-wing rethoric that we of the envy-motivated and hatred and rage-driven community don't read and/or are bored with [And/or fear may be TRUE!] -- we of the envy-motivated and hatred and rage-driven community have elected to, voluntered to and have chosen to TAKE offense at your stuff.

And, in accordance with the post-modernist absense of logic by which we order and/or float though our lives, [Take your pick] you must be held responsible for our actions.

Get it?

[Billthedrill]

a tendency to enrage members of the opposing causes...

Uh, yeah...yeah, student newspapers are known for their propriety and avoidance of controversy.

Idiots. This isn't the stink of orthodoxy, it's the stink of fear.

[Doctor Raoul]

In his email announcing Birman’s dismissal, Fitzgerald Vo, the newspaper’s editor-in-chief cited “a tendency to enrage members of the opposing causes” as the reason for the columnist’s firing.

An email? Why did the little Stalinits in training forego the Show Trial? You can't be a good Communist if you don't know how to put on a good show trial.