Published on October 10, 2007
The brouhaha over a recent editorial in the Colorado State University’s student newspaper begs all of us to examine the question “When is the right to write, wrong?”
The editorial that appeared in CSU’s Rocky Mountain Collegian responded in part to the recent tasering of a student at a University of Florida rally for Senator John Kerry, and used the “F-word” in large bold letters beside the name of the President.
The statement resulted in an advertising revenue loss of $30,000 to the paper, and a Republican petition calling for the dismissal of student editor J. David McSwane.
If one can get past the politics of the matter, it is not the statement made regarding First Amendments rights that is causing the furor; it is the word that was used to express it.
Over the past decade our society has become increasing tolerant of vulgar and profane language. Screenwriters have confused the F-word for good dialogue, songwriters consider it good lyrics, and celebrities are bleeped for using it at award ceremonies.
But do we, as editors, need to reduce our standards to the vulgar and the profane?
We are wordsmiths, artists of the printed word. Our opinions should be written in terms both profound and inspiring. A four-letter word starting with ‘F’ is neither. It is as useless to the communication of reasonable thought as “you know” and “umm,” but significantly more offensive.
McSwane said, in a printed statement, that the CSU editorial staff’s intentions were not malicious. Unfortunately, most of their readers couldn’t get past the F-word to decide.
The language we use to convey our thoughts should never detract from the clarity of our message. We must be certain that what we have the right to write is right.