Daily Illini suspends editors over cartoon

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH ^ | 02/14/2006 | By Kavita Kumar

[sistergoldenhair]

URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, ILL.

Two high-ranking editors of the student newspaper at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign were suspended Tuesday after they decided on their own to run some of the controversial cartoons that have sparked protests and outrage from Muslims around the world.

Acton Gorton, the editor in chief of the Daily Illini, and Chuck Prochaska, the opinions editor, said they stand behind their decision to print cartoons of the prophet Muhammad that were originally published by a Danish newspaper.

"I think it's unfortunate because what we did for our readership was something that most newspapers were scared to do," said Prochaska, 20, a junior from a suburb of Chicago. "I think Acton and I made a brave decision to publish the cartoons."

[sistergoldenhair]

Initial praise turns to punishment.

[BenLurkin]

Good grief!

These kids should be heroes for showing the courage.

[Dog Gone]

Good to see that the sissy pantywaists at an American university won out as expected. I hate surprises.

[OldFriend]

If only they had shown cartoons showing our President or Vice President in a negative light. That would have been quite acceptable.

[starbase]

Here are their polished reasons for suspending them:

The editorial said that the two editors did not consult the editorial board, the editorial adviser or the publisher of the paper in their decision, which it characterized as the "the callous bravado of a renegade editor in chief."

"We want to make it clear that while we do not necessarily disagree with the decision to print these cartoons, we disagree with how they were run," the editorial said.

But the real beans spill out in the second to last sentence:

Most members of the newspaper staff have been angry with him, he said, telling him he didn't take their safety into account.

So the real reason is personal fear at engaging in free speech.

[Tzimisce]

More open minded tolerance and acceptance from our friends on the American left.

Think this university will win an award for freedom of the press?

[Tzimisce]

More open minded tolerance and acceptance from our friends on the American left.

Think this university will win an award for freedom of the press?

[Graybeard58]

Second ping to the same story. Are you getting this or are you one of the suspended students.

[Michael.SF.]

Or if they had shown the painting of Christ in a jar of urine.

[sistergoldenhair]

I hate surprises.

I was surprised that the cartoons were published by the Illini.
Now my faith has been restored.

[Begin]

Most members of the newspaper staff have been angry with him, he said, telling him he didn't take their safety into account.

I guess they don't believe that Islam is the Religion of Peace after all.

[Lee N. Field]

Back in the day, we called the Daily Illini the Daily Idiot.

[gaijin]

Multiculturalists: Married, Nascar-watching men are to be derided as RAPISTS, while musclim clitorectomists require PROTECTION.

Is yer head spinnin' yet?

[sistergoldenhair]

So the real reason is personal fear at engaging in free speech.

So it would seem.
Courage when potential consequences are low risk.

[gaijin]

Most members of the newspaper staff have been angry with him, he said, telling him he didn't take their safety into account.

There was a day that journalists rallied to notion that the debate over free-speech STARTED a talk over what words are truly offensive.

Now they simply rally for their a$$es to be protected...!

And they wonder why the major dailies are going extinct...?

[Kozak]

I'll need to keep this in mind the next time I get a begging letter as an alumnus.

[gaijin]

Most members of the newspaper staff have been angry with him, he said, telling him he didn't take their safety into account.

I've got an idea: From my seat here on the Left-Coast, if I AVOID reporting stuff, can I draw pay from their paper? And what's more, can I expect to draw EXTRA pay by demonstrating a higher-than-expected level of sensitivity to protected groups?

[dufekin]

Printing these particular cartoons automatically subjects the newspaper, including all employees and their families, to Islamic jurisprudence, which claims universal jurisdiction in the prohibition on the depiction of Muhammad. At least the responsible editors will be extradited to Syria or some other country of appropriate jurisdiction (incidentally and invariably an enemy of these United States) for their Islamic decapitations. Our Constitutional guarantee of free speech and free press does not apply to this case as it would not apply to any newspaper of yesteryear printing military secrets in a time of war while slandering the armed forces. We might have condemned that conduct sedition or even treason during World War II; today, the mainstream Americans laud it as patriotism.

[sistergoldenhair]

Is yer head spinnin' yet?

Well, it's still attached (for now, anyway).

[Martins kid]

Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains or slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take but as for me; give me liberty or give me death! - Patrick Henry

[MillerCreek]

(1.) if the students had been earlier advised not to run the cartoons and did so despite the (faculty/administration) directive, then the students should be punished to some degree for bypassing the directive; (2.) I think the students have the right idea, however, and if they'd been advised not to run the photos, the advice is wrong for a myriad of reasons.

However, it's a student paper and students who work on those are still required to follow the directive of the owner (and that's the institution, not the students).

This seems to be an "administration vs. student/s" issue and the students, by doing the right thing journalistically, did the wrong thing as students. My sympathies to the students....they should consider starting their own paper, independent of the school or any other.

[facedown]

bttt

[LiteKeeper]

A moment of silence, please, for the passing of the freedom of speech and press.

[Jim_Curtis]

"We want to make it clear that while we do not necessarily disagree with the decision to print these cartoons, we disagree with how they were run," the editorial said. But the real beans spill out in the second to last sentence: Most members of the newspaper staff have been angry with him, he said, telling him he didn't take their safety into account.

I've heard the saying: "I may not agree with the things you say, but I'd die for your right to say them.". The motto of these folks is "I might agree with what you say but I'll prevent you from saying it so I don't get hurt."

[El Gato]

Illinois firearms owners should establish a volunteer guard force to these kids. Probably drive Hizzoner da Mayor craxy. No telling what he might do. Although what he, or his lap dog Governor, would not do it provided effective protection for these people, nor if they can help it, allow them to defend themselves or be defended by civilian gun owners.