Freedom of speech and the role of the press

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

These are the words of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. This Amendment, along with the other Amendments that make up the Bill of Rights, comprises the basic principles upon which the United States was founded.

Freedom of speech is an important, inalienable right, which is guaranteed to all Americans by the U.S. Constitution. The right to free speech is a principle of such importance to the foundation of our country that the Founding Fathers deemed it necessary to center the First Amendment on it.

Freedom of the press is also protected by the First Amendment. Newspapers, including this one, have a duty to advocate for free speech. Without the First Amendment, the press would not be able to truly serve its purpose, which is to keep the country's citizens informed.

In the context of Governors State University, it is the duty of the Phoenix to keep GSU's students informed about what is happening on their campus. I have come to realize that I had never fully appreciated the full weight of the responsibility I bear as Editor-in-Chief until very recently, when a situation arose that forced me to examine the responsibilities that come with the title of Editor-in-Chief.

On page 3, the very next page from this editorial, are two letters to the editor that I received. One is from the H.O.M.E. Group. The other is from GSU's very own Dr. Raven James. One of the letters I received was unsolicited. The letters both address the topic of homosexuality. After much reflection, I felt that it would be wrong and biased to print one of the letters, (which was strongly in favor of one position) without providing an open forum for someone with an opposing viewpoint to be able to state a counter-argument.

As wrong and biased as it would be to print one side's letter without providing an equal forum to the other, it would be just as wrong to censor either side. The press does not exist to censor, but rather to expose truth. I would be doing a disservice to GSU students by not printing these letters. GSU students need to know what is happening on their campus. Futhermore, they need to know what kinds of messages are being allowed to be spread on their campus, both good and bad.

I will admit that as a human being, I found one of the letters I received incredibly offensive and disturbing. However, as Editor-in-Chief it is my duty to provide a forum for free speech that is unbiased. I will not comment in this editorial as to which letter I found offensive. I believe GSU students should be able to read both and draw their own conclusions without my personal opinion influencing their opinions.

I expect that my decision to publish these letters will elicit responses from Phoenix readers, some of which may not be positive. I welcome all feedback, and especially welcome letters to the editor that can be shared in the next issue of the Phoenix, or on our website, gsuphoenix.com. I do ask that all letters to the editor do not exceed 350 words, and will note that all letters are subject to editing due to space constraints. Also, any profanities will be edited out.

While there are opinions in the world that are unpopular, and in some instances terribly offensive, a truly free press should not serve as a censor. Rather, it is the duty of the press to provide a forum for those opinions, and to allow for its citizens to be informed about what is happening in their community. To ignore an issue does not make it go away.

Melissa Hall

Phoenix Editor-in-Chief