Monday, October 8, 2007
Update on CSU/McSwane
Last week, the Communications Board at Colorado State University chose to "admonish" David McSwane for his controversial editorial (see below for context), essentially saying, "Don't do that again." Since his actions cost the newspaper an estimated $50,000, I would have hoped they'd at least have used a stronger word. Nevertheless, it's their paper, and if they want to "admonish," then that's their right under the First Amendment.
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I've heard about this and basically agree with your assessment. Part of my weariness along these lines in a broad sense is rather than McSwane engaging in a discussion about President Bush's policies and their effects throughout the world, he uses inflammatory rhetoric that, as you rightly express, brought painful consequences for his colleagues, his newspaper and--it seems--himself. McSwane, in short, is not being an editor as much as he is an advocate. If he, say worked for _The Nation_, well, scream away. But for a paper whose presumed purpose is to convey information so that a citizenry might be "well-informed" enough to make decisions about the sort of University, city, state, country and world they wish to inhabit, he went beyond the pale of his placement.
I'm also yet again troubled, but not surprised, by the way in which McSwane's language hardens our already coarsened culture. My friend Steve and I have been "going at it" about these issues for some months now, but each of us think that the manner in which we as a society communicates these days is deterimental and--here more myself than he--dangerous. I think matters aren't going to get better unless both perspectives agree to stop together and somehow resist the temptation to start again when a political opportunity presents itself.
Hope you're well. Everyting is not exactly quiet on the Midwestern front with Poshard's mess, but the in-house Committee investigating the claims against him (emphasize "in-house") will issue its findings and recommendations tomorrow. The same day as the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded. Don't you love irony?
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