This paper contains examples of free speech and uncensored opinion that may upset some readers.
On Nov. 29, 1868, the Dalhousie College Gazette published the first issue of its second volume. The founders of the paper had just transferred control of their bold experiment over to the students of the university, and expectations and enthusiasm were sky high.
One featured letter to the editor in particular extolled the awesome potential of the paper, both as an arena for the free exchange of ideas and an incubator of young minds. The author declared that students:
through the medium of your columns, may question the validity of theories and doctrines, and principles that have stood the test of ages; and perhaps may discover many local ‘abuses.’ They should not be too timid to write. It is not expected that their first few attempts will be at all perfect, but with a little practice they will be able to wield their pen on any subject without experiencing that timidity natural to young writers.
Fostering debates. Challenging the sacrosanct. Providing an open forum in which student writers can develop. These were the founding objectives of the Gazette back in 1869, and they will continue to govern this Opinions section over the upcoming year.
In an ideal world, this preface wouldn’t be necessary. Unfortunately, we live in an era during which freedom of expression on university campuses has become the exception rather than the rule. According to the Justice Center for Constitutional Freedoms’ 2013 Campus Freedom Index, 23 of the 45 Canadian universities studied — 51 per cent — engaged in some form of censorship of student opinions.
Just the other week at Western University, Twitter outrage and pressure from the university administration led the student newspaper to retract and apologize for two Orientation Week articles that offended the sensibilities of certain groups on campus. The articles in question were erased from the website, and all print copies of the paper were pulled from the stands.
In these ever-so-considerate times, it is now apparently preferable to toss out the hard work of an entire staff of writers and editors than to risk fragile young minds reading an article that might subject them to the horror of being offended.
It should be noted that there was nothing criminal, hate-filled, or libelous about the offending articles — at worst they were failed attempts at satire that probably could have used a few more rounds of polishing.
Yet, under administration pressure and in the face of nationally publicized calls for resignations, the paper’s editorial board reversed their initial defence of the pieces. They eventually released a public apology, begging absolution for the egregious sin of daring to publish articles that ruffled a few feathers.
We can do better here at Dal. At the Gazette, we trust that our readers are intelligent, autonomous adults capable of critically assessing the materials in front of them — adults, it should be noted, who have made the voluntary decision to attend an institution that has spent two centuries promoting itself as a bastion of open discourse and lively debate.
You will read things in this paper that offend you. This is good, as it is a sign that free speech is alive and well. Embrace it. Write us to explain why you are offended and why the rest of us should feel the same way. Start a discussion, not a witch-hunt.
You will also read articles that fail to achieve their purpose. Embrace this experience too. Our contributors aren’t professionals—as in 1869, they are students who are still struggling to find their voice and work on their craft. Write in and explain why you think their arguments were faulty or their attempts at satire fell flat.
If this all seems a little much—if the unpredictable potpourri of an unfettered press is your own personal trauma trigger—consider yourself alerted.
For the rest of you, welcome to the 2014-2015 edition of the Gazette’s Opinions section. If the sampling of articles submitted this week is any indication of how things are going to progress from here, I suspect I may have the opportunity to communicate with quite a few of you before the year is through.
I can’t wait.
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