Monday, February 13, 2006

Never Mind

Apparently I am going to write about the "Muhammad Cartoons" thing.

The Daily Northwestern wrote an article about the controversy last Thursday. My critical letter to the editor was published on Friday (and I might add, as an indicator of their journalistic integrity, that they changed it without my permission).

Today, they published a column as to why they would not reprint the "offensive" cartoons.
With the freedom an opinion page has, responsibilities follow. Opinion pages are not exempt from respecting readers’ sensitivities. With this, The Daily has to ask if by publishing these cartoons anything will be added. The answer is no.

By running these cartoons the only thing that will be achieved is shock value, angry letters to the editor and no furthering of any form of debate. This means the Forum Page will have failed. The page will have offended for the sake of offending.

Oh, really? I'd say showing them will much further the debate, as it would 1) show the cartoons just aren't offensive in the least, 2) give fuel for discussing the line between freedom of speech and censorship, and 3) allow for education and debate on the various doctrinal positions within Islam regarding images and why they exist.

However, those reasons I accept. But "respecting readers' sensitivities?" "Offending for the sake of offending?" I don't buy it. No, not one bit.

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