The story of the juvenile, obscene editorial in the Colorado State University newspaper has prompted the Independence Institute’s Jessica Corry and Ryan Olivett (a current CSU student) to fire back with a sharp reminder in journalistic ethics:
Like a child howling in a candy store to get what he wants, the Collegian substituted a four letter word for genuine political discourse. All for attention. If only McSwane had stepped back for a moment to acknowledge not just his freedoms as an American—but also his ethical obligations as a newspaper editor.
According to the code of ethics espoused by the Society of Professional Journalists, “gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort,” but this doesn’t mean the “pursuit of the news (serves as) a license for arrogance.” Journalists are, therefore, advised to “show good taste.” By printing their juvenile editorial, McSwane and his staff irresponsibly violated this ethos.
El Presidente has been on top of this story since last week. Lesson for the young moonbats: You can’t hide everything you say behind the First Amendment, nor expect what you say to be immune from genuine criticism and/or negative consequences.
Sigh.
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