LETTER: ‘Our View’ is poor journalism
To the editor:
It’s not often that something stirs me up enough to voice my insignificant opinion about it, but the ‘not very often’ something was published in the Nov. 7 issue of The Statesman. I am utterly disgusted at the seemingly biased, politically motivated content in the “Our View” column.
The column made some very snide and over-the-top comments regarding a letter to the editor that the president of the College Republicans wrote last week in its last couple paragraphs. He wrote a letter opposing the Blue Goes Green Fee that passed last school year. I thought it was an interesting opinion that made me think twice about the issue.
The reason why I was disturbed is because the “Our View” is written by the editors of The Statesman as their collective opinion. The column attacks the president of the College Republicans, subtly attacks initiatives by the College Republicans to host Utah’s elected officials for what is called “Pizza and Politics” and hints toward saying that anyone who doesn’t agree with the project is a “dyed-in-the-wool right-winger” who doesn’t think in “real world” terms. For me, that’s what was written in bright red ink between the lines.
I ask you valued readers, is that good journalism? Is it right for our newspaper to single out one student who might have a different opinion than those on our school’s newspaper staff? No, it’s not right. Was the said person speaking on behalf of the college Republican group? No, he wasn’t. Has the college Republican group ever produced a press release officially opposing the fee? No, they haven’t. He was a student expressing his opinion and was jumped on by The Statesman because of it.
Having a column endorsed by the editorial board of a newspaper is much different than a single person writing a signed opinion opposing someone else.
Good journalism shows both sides of the story. Monday’s “Our View” column was simply not good journalism. I don’t think it’s right for our school’s newspaper to endorse — either boldly or subtly — specific causes, candidates or political issues. Nor do I think it’s appropriate for the editorial board to attack a specific person who doesn’t agree with a cause that they may or may not support.
Any conservative should be “raise-their-eyebrows” offended. Any good journalist should be disgusted. I believe a public, published apology is in order.
Casey Saxton