Taser THIS! Freedom of speech

Last night, I arrived at CSU's campus to visit a friend. As I did, the public hearing regarding the editor of the CSU Collegian was breaking for the night. I was amazed at how many people are in direct support of this kid. He is J. David McSwane, an award-winning writer from Arvada.

As you can see below, the editor was very blunt. He broke campus bylaws. The advertisers of the Collegian have pulled $30,000 of business so far and that may not be all. The staff of the student-run newspaper have already taken a pay cut. McSwane is facing consequences from the Board of Student Communication, which may include some big political ideas. Petitions for and against his firing reached into the hundreds on Wednesday.

I think that several simple things have happened and need to happen that people seem to be confused about. First off, he exercised his freedom of speech. This great country gives each citizen that right in our constitution. Second, that exercising upset many of the alumni and support for the paper and the university. This, in turn, caused money to be pulled from the paper. I believe that the Collegian is currently being published in black and white now, because of the funding cut. Normally, it is published in full color.

I think that McSwane was completely irresponsible in publishing that in the paper that he did. I realize that I am a lowly blogger, but I cannot ever see using that word in that kind of a paper. If I EVER see a word like that in a syndicated publication, I would expect that it would take an act of the editor, the publisher and several petitions by tens of thousands of it's readers to make it happen.

What needs to happen is McSwane should step down. I think CSU should ask him to step down based on the fact that he has offended so many people. The publisher should ask him to step down on the same grounds. The publisher, given that he doesn't resign, should fire him on the grounds that they have lost so much money in advertising. I say that because, as I understand it, the paper is financially independent from the university and therefore has the authority to hire and fire who it pleases as a business. Whether the students see it as free speech or not is irrelevant.

Linkys:
The "editorial"

The newspaper

The kid

The money it cost the paper/students

Offering no apology.