Taser This: Colorado State University Newspaper Editor feels the Heat
[Guest post by DRJ]
In the wake of the controversial “Taser This … F*Bush” editorial published last week in the Colorado State University Collegian (discussed here), the student editor, J. David McSwane, faced the CSU governing board that will decide whether to fire him for his approval of an editorial that used profanity.
From the Boulder Daily Camera:
“For some, it was a matter of protecting free speech. For others, it was about punishing the editor of a campus newspaper, who they believed damaged the credibility of Colorado State University nationally when he decided to publish the F-word in the school newspaper.
“Our university will take a hit for the poor choices of one student,” said Chelsea Penoyer, chairwoman of the College Republicans at CSU.
Penoyer was one of more than 300 students and members of the staff and community who attended a hearing Wednesday night of CSU’s Board of Student Communications, the governing body that will decide whether to fire The Rocky Mountain Collegian’s editor, J. David McSwane, for his approval of an editorial that used profanity.“
The governing board heard from witnesses supporting and criticizing the editorial, as well as from McSwane who said he believed the content was protected as free speech. McSwane also noted that the editorial stimulated debate about free speech, although he did not anticipate the extent of the fallout:
“McSwane said he and his staff also discussed the potential fallout that could result from the editorial, but he didn’t “think it would be as bad as it is.”
Jeff Browne, director of student media, said that if all of the advertisers who threatened to pull their business do, the school could lose $50,000 of advertising. The newspaper’s staff has taken a 10 percent pay cut because of lost revenue. *** “I could potentially see this trend leading us into destruction well into six figures,” said Lenay Snyder, who oversees advertising for CSU’s student media.”
McSwane denied rumors he will sue CSU but he is “meeting later with Denver lawyer David Lane, known for representing fired University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill.”
— DRJ
All free speech arguments aside, has anyone explained how President Bush is remotely responsible for the taser incident at the University of Florida? Has anyone asked David Lane?
Help me.
Corky Boyd (a8cc75) — 9/27/2007 @ 8:19 pmIdiots think that free speech rights mean advertisers have to stay and pay for the noise; and if they don’t then the State of Colorado should be legally obligated to make up the difference.
Lesson in free market economics avoided.
He can say/write what he wants, but free speech doesn’t mean the forum chosen has to be made available free. Nothing is “free”. Take a lump for your freedom. Life is hard that way.
SteveG (4e16fc) — 9/27/2007 @ 8:32 pmIn the liberal world free speech means they get to say whatever they want, everyone must listen to it, and it must be subsidized by those who disagree with it.
MagicalPat (012b3d) — 9/27/2007 @ 10:17 pmJust because you CAN say anything you want, doesn’t mean you SHOULD. There’s freedom of speech, and then there’s showing a little class.
What a putz.
Steve B (03a22f) — 9/27/2007 @ 10:51 pmCorky (#1), you clearly fail to appreciate the remarkable degradation of civil liberty that Bush and the ReThuglicans have accomplished by threatening to impugn the patriotism of free-thinking Americans since the contrived incident most of you here on this blog refer to as “9/11.” If Bush hadn’t stolen the 2000 election, then President Gore would have resolved the root causes of terrorism by July 2001, and the sort of jackbooted suppression of Liberty and Justice that we saw happen in Florida wouldn’t even be imaginable. Besides, within a matter of hours after poor Meyer was Tased, BushCo. had rewarded Taser International, Inc. with a fat new no-bid contract to sell 700 additional Tasers to the U.S. Forrest Service — and we all know the revolving door between those Rangers, the Army’s so-called “Rangers” (think that’s a coincidence?), Blackwater, and Halliburton. How could you be so blind as to miss these connections?
(Okay, that’s me pretending to be WLS pretending to be trying out for diary privileges at dKos or DU or something.)
Beldar (b3518e) — 9/28/2007 @ 12:08 amCorky (#1):
You know the drill.
It’s not the San Andreas Fault…it’s Bush’s Fault.
Paul (e4a0a7) — 9/28/2007 @ 12:45 amCorky,
It is suppose to be a secret, but the original Taser Patent was issued to a “G. Bush” and to a “D. Cheney” residents Texas and Wyoming. But the same “black ops” that cleansed Bush’s TANG records also altered the US Patent records to hide Bush’s complicity in the creation of the Taser. But well informed sources tell me that Bush & Cheney still collect a royalty on each Taser sale and each use of the Taser.
Hmmmm, its 1:50 in the morning, who could be banging on my door…?
Perfect Sense (b6ec8c) — 9/28/2007 @ 12:49 amThere are also rumors that Bush had Area-51 converted into a sanitarium for those inflicted with BDS. And the road leading in has one-way signs posted.
Rovin (7f64b8) — 9/28/2007 @ 3:06 amIf it was University Policy to not print the F word, the student is hosed. He’ll lose.
And the University can, frankly, censor whatever it wants.
1st amendment only applies to city, state, and federal government. Individual people, companies, and other non-governmental agencies are not subject to it.
Scott Jacobs (425810) — 9/28/2007 @ 6:37 amJ. David McSwane is a nasty little jerk who farted in the elevator. Perfectly legal. Perfectly foul.
BlacquesJacquesShellacques (93278f) — 9/28/2007 @ 6:46 amMr. Mc Swane is not familiar with (Louis) wu’s dictum;”Stupidity can be a capital crime.”
corwin (dfaf29) — 9/28/2007 @ 8:38 amThe newspaper’s staff has taken a 10 percent pay cut because of lost revenue.
The student newspaper’s staff gets paid?!? Clearly I went to the wrong schools. I spent years working for student newspaper and radio and never once got paid a dime.
Dodd (7edc27) — 9/28/2007 @ 8:44 amWhat a terrible bone-headed, absolutely crazy thing to do.
Seriously–what could possibly be gained from this? Nothing positive. But that which could be lost is immense: screw this editor’s personal livelihood, what about the reputation of his university?
And since I personally resonate with the editorial staff’s sentiments, I resent how perfectly this plays into existing caricatures of profane liberalism. F— that.
Tom (83919d) — 9/28/2007 @ 9:17 amSpeaking of tasers. Since Perky Katie has been in the news so much, you should have a look at this:
driver (faae10) — 9/28/2007 @ 10:08 amhttp://www.cartoonistgroup.com/store/add.php?iid=16608
But, guys, don’t you see? He’s being oppressed because of his speech. The MAN is keeping him down.
Do you know how good this will look on his application for ABC or the NYTimes?
Techie (c003f1) — 9/28/2007 @ 10:15 amDo you know how good this will look on his application for ABC or the NYTimes?
Yes, because ABC and the NYT are just like that.
Not Fox of course, with its blow-hards screaming “Shut up!” Shut up! Shut up!” But ABC and the NYT.
Tom (83919d) — 9/28/2007 @ 11:27 amTom, odd that the editorial would resonate with you, since it has a silly premise. The tasering incident at USF had nothing to do with free speech, it was about conduct. Meyer was not arrested for what he said. Meyer’s disorderly conduct, in interfering with other people’s speech and taking over others’ forum, was not free speech.
SPQR (6c18fd) — 9/28/2007 @ 11:31 amI offer a simple solution. Stop paying the newspaper staff. After a month, let them decide on whether to keep McSwane. Why are we paying these people ( and with the amount of Federal tax funds going to CSU, we are paying them, all of us )?
Ken Hahn (7742d5) — 9/28/2007 @ 12:22 pm15 & 16 you are assuming that the NYT will still be in business when he graduates. The way their stock is going down…
Hazy (56a0a8) — 9/28/2007 @ 12:26 pmWhen did I say anything about Fox? Did that touch a nerve? I’m talking about the “I has Free Speech!1!. If you do anything like criticize me or take ad dollars elsewhere, you are zOMG oppressing me1” attitude that seems to have flourished over the past 7 years.
Techie (c003f1) — 9/28/2007 @ 1:27 pmBeldar,
You had me worried for a moment. I remember you from the days of Rathergate, and that wasn’t you tone then.
On that subject, Dan is the gift that keeps on giving. There should be a reunion for all of you. No other single event established conservative blogs like that one.
Corky Boyd (a8cc75) — 9/28/2007 @ 1:48 pmJusr make him print a appology and make him eat every copy of that certian birdcage linner becuase no bird will want it in his cage
krazy kagu (5b69ac) — 9/28/2007 @ 2:12 pmThis is obviously about the GOP pseudo-Christians wanting to censor free-speech and nothing else. Simply put….if he hadn’t used the word “fuck” there would be no story here at all. Period.
If, on the other hand, he had said “fuck Hillary”, I guarantee you POX News never would have shown their face and the GOP cheerleader moron wouldn’t have been whining on TV.
I saw the GOP student cheerleader on Pox News.
I’d like to ask her two questions:
Should US Senator Vitter, among those who voted to impeach Bill Clinton, be expelled from the US Senate for years of serial adultery, lying, criminal prostitution and hypocrisy?
and
How do people as obviously stupid as you get into college?
kevin jones (cd72db) — 9/30/2007 @ 5:59 amWell, there’d still be the part where the story they were commenting on had exactly nothing to do with Bush, which lends an enhanced aura of stupidity to the whole thing.
Right, those GOP psuedo-Christians on the Colorado State University Board of Student Communications. Gotcha.
Pablo (99243e) — 9/30/2007 @ 6:14 amThis NY Times blurb covers the same story but adds an interesting footnote:
DRJ (ec59b5) — 9/30/2007 @ 5:26 pmHe hasn’t already figure out how incompetent Lane is, I guess.
SPQR (6c18fd) — 9/30/2007 @ 5:41 pmCommon sense should be the prevailing rule. The language was offensive by anyone’s standard and was unacceptable. The only people he made any points with were those who share his low values with. Disagree with Bush, no problem. Say f*** you to your boss and see what happens. Free speech has been taken waaaaaaay out of context.
motty (c133f5) — 10/1/2007 @ 7:36 amI’d like to see this loser try to get a good newspaper job. Who’s going to want to hire a loose cannon like that? Like he honestly thinks that crap is going to fly in the real world of journalism? Gimme a break.
EditorGirl (44af30) — 10/6/2007 @ 9:50 am