Letter to the Editors

Dear Sir and/or Madam,

Part of the reason English instruction occupies such an important place in any good schoolÕs curriculum is the marvelous power language has. When Plato advocated censorship in his Republic, it was because he realized that literature and writing can influence our thoughts and actions significantly.

If all language has power, then responsible citizens must not abuse that power. They must use languageÑspoken or writtenÑin a responsible fashion. The recent articles in your newspaper have not been responsible. In these articles, you (or your writers, how is anyone to know?) have leveled unsubstantiated charges against MenloÕs students, faculty, and administration while holding yourselves and your paper up as the last bastion of truth and clear thinking. In fact, your articles spray venom; instead of deftly addressing issues and constructive solutions, you fire the journalistic equivalent of random blasts from a sawed-off shotgun. Perhaps you hit your target now and again, but at what cost?

Most disturbing to me is your decision to run articles without by-lines. It shows true cowardice to attack your community while hiding behind anonymity. Menlo is not a police state: the very fact that TSC is allowed to be printed and distributed confirms that the faculty and administration encourage dissent and open discussion. When authorship is obscure, however, the discussion is no longer open.

I enthusiastically applaud your resolve to bring reasoned and intelligent debate to Menlo, but just as RobertÕs Rules of Order give legitimacy to meetings, so does ethical journalistic practice underlie the responsible publication of dissent. I hope you will continue your efforts while holding The Subterranean Crusader to a higher standard. Please print this letter only if you intend to include my name.

Sincerely,

Tom McNalley

Response from the Editors

Mr. McNalley,

Thank you very much for your well-articulated insight. Initially, the editors felt that by-lines were counterintuitive to the goal of the Subterranean, because such a requirement might scare off writers who wish to voice their opinions freely without worrying about personal reputations; by-lines might indeed negate the entire principle of free speech by weeding out timid writers. In addition, the editors worried that publishing by-lines might cause readers to judge the piece of work based on the writer and not the actual content of the article.

In response to your grievance, which seems to be echoed throughout the school, particularly among student council members, as well as some faculty members, the editors have decided to publish by-lines at the end of potentially controversial or offensive articles.

For milder articles (of which the Subterranean has had very few as of yet), writers will have the option of having a by-line published. The by-line will be published at the end of its respective article in an attempt to encourage readers to complete the article before judging the piece of workÑand the authorÑas a whole. It is true that when an author signs his name to a piece of work, it gives the writing more credibility; however, this principle remains secondary to the presentation of the article's text.

Thank you very much for your suggestions. The editors are happy to have received feedback. Because the Subterranean is currently in its budding weeks, any policy which the editors may currently have is purely experimental, and could benefit greatly from any more suggestions you, or others, might have for us.

Sincerely,

JOHN EARL, NICK FEAMSTER, Co-editors


This page created for The Subterranean Crusader by John W. Earl. Last modified January 28, 1996.