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Recorder opinion editor's termination was unwarranted
Our Opinion
Issue date: 4/21/09 Section: Commentary
The opinion editor of Central Connecticut State University's Recorder, Marissa Blaszko, was fired last month. The Editor in Chief of the paper deemed Blaszko's involvement in other activities to be a conflict of interest with her position at The Recorder. According to The Hartford Courant, The Recorder's rules state that no editor can be affiliated with an on-campus political organization, as Blaszko is.
Blaszko is a member of Youth for Socialist Action, though she refrained from writing about the group's activities in The Recorder. Blaszko protests the war in Iraq among other social and political injustices. An editorial published in The Recorder on April 7 said that it violates the paper's code of ethics to "act on political leanings." However, Blaszko was not acting on politics at all.
Blaszko's job as opinion editor allows her to be biased. It would be a different story if she was an editor or writer for any other section of the newspaper, but her job is to have an opinion and express it. She should not suddenly be penalized for it.
Blaszko chalks it all up to censorship.
"These editors have begun an attack on the freedom of speech of anyone on this campus who has ever taken a stance against racism, sexism, war, homophobia, religious intolerance, inequality or any other injustice," Blaszko said in an April 16 article in The Chicago Tribune.
Some college newspapers have rules regulating involvement in student government or other activities that may foster bias among writers, but political, religious and social views are meant to be expressed in an editorial outlet. Blaszko was not a news writer or a reporter. She was open about her involvement in other organizations as well as the newspaper and didn't try to sway the editorial board with her views. Opinion columns are just that - opinion. She should be able to express her opinion just as all other editors and writers in opinion sections in other schools do.
Because of her illegitimate termination, Blaszko told News Channel 8 that she dropped her journalism major, although she still wants to write for The Recorder. Blaszko had a petition signed by about three dozen professors and numerous students who oppose her termination.
This is not The Recorder's first scandal. Recorder staff has previously run racially and sexually offensive opinion columns and cartoons, mistakes from which they should have learned valuable lessons. It is acceptable to censor offensive material, but it is not okay to take away the right to freedom of speech and censor an editor who is expressing her views in an acceptable outlet.
Blaszko is a member of Youth for Socialist Action, though she refrained from writing about the group's activities in The Recorder. Blaszko protests the war in Iraq among other social and political injustices. An editorial published in The Recorder on April 7 said that it violates the paper's code of ethics to "act on political leanings." However, Blaszko was not acting on politics at all.
Blaszko's job as opinion editor allows her to be biased. It would be a different story if she was an editor or writer for any other section of the newspaper, but her job is to have an opinion and express it. She should not suddenly be penalized for it.
Blaszko chalks it all up to censorship.
"These editors have begun an attack on the freedom of speech of anyone on this campus who has ever taken a stance against racism, sexism, war, homophobia, religious intolerance, inequality or any other injustice," Blaszko said in an April 16 article in The Chicago Tribune.
Some college newspapers have rules regulating involvement in student government or other activities that may foster bias among writers, but political, religious and social views are meant to be expressed in an editorial outlet. Blaszko was not a news writer or a reporter. She was open about her involvement in other organizations as well as the newspaper and didn't try to sway the editorial board with her views. Opinion columns are just that - opinion. She should be able to express her opinion just as all other editors and writers in opinion sections in other schools do.
Because of her illegitimate termination, Blaszko told News Channel 8 that she dropped her journalism major, although she still wants to write for The Recorder. Blaszko had a petition signed by about three dozen professors and numerous students who oppose her termination.
This is not The Recorder's first scandal. Recorder staff has previously run racially and sexually offensive opinion columns and cartoons, mistakes from which they should have learned valuable lessons. It is acceptable to censor offensive material, but it is not okay to take away the right to freedom of speech and censor an editor who is expressing her views in an acceptable outlet.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
JoeC
posted 4/21/09 @ 10:12 PM EST
It is undoubtably true that people have their opinions. Perhaps, it is more prevalent among those who love writing.
In the newspaper business, the editor's formost job is to ensure the accuracy of news stories, as well as to assign coverage, and, ultimately, to determine the content of the newspaper. (Continued…)
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