Taser This: It’s OK to F**k Bush

The decision is in regarding Colorado State University newspapers editor and his recent OpEd which had nothing to do with its subject. According to CNN CSU faculty member Jim Landers read a statement prepared following the decision of three faculty members and six students:

"We see the editorial as an opinion which is protected by the First Amendment. We feel that it caused harm to The Collegian and to student media. It is our judgment that his actions were unethical and unprofessional."

Ultimately:

“The editor-in-chief of Colorado State University's newspaper will keep his job after he published a four-word column that said, "Taser this: F**k Bush."

The CSU Board of Student Communications met Thursday for nearly four hours in a closed hearing before deciding to admonish instead of fire Rocky Mountain Collegian editor-in-chief David McSwane.”

This is obviously not my decision, but the “verdict” is questionable as it is not just free speech that they are really hiding behind, but poor judgment by someone 20 years young or not. It is irresponsible free speech and much the norm these days. We all value free speech of course and would not want to step on someone’s right to it, but standards in discourse, especially by someone in his position should be higher than they are.

Should he have lost his job? I don’t know, but advertisers in the paper that have bowed out should continue to do so if they don’t agree with this decision. The slope that is free speech will continue on as its slipperiness is covered in black ice.

There is a certain partisan "anger" out there these days, mentioned just in case someone isn't aware of it. OpEd, free speech or no, in this situation it should be considered very seriously; integrity is lost. Opinion pages are one thing, but this is a very poor way of sharing it in a newspaper, student or not.

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