Because of a printing error, Page 2 of the Emerald’s Monday edition was replaced with a page from The Daily Barometer, the student newspaper at Oregon State University. The content that should have run on that page has been re-edited and appears in today’s issue. View a PDF of Monday’s Page 2 here.

Usually the Emerald won’t run the word “fuck” at all, much less in a bold headline. Desperate times call for desperate measures, however, which makes this the perfect moment for a strong statement in support of free speech.
Our bold text is not meant to be sensational, but is in response to another strong statement, one from the editorial board of the Rocky Mountain Collegian, the student newspaper at Colorado State University. Their statement was written in response to the Sept. 17 Tasering of Andrew Meyer, a student at the

University of Florida, during a question-and-answer session with Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry.
The incident was recorded on video, and found its way to online file-sharing sites such as YouTube in a matter of hours, where it has been viewed more than 2 million times. People nationwide have expressed shock and outrage over what many have since deemed excessive use of force on the part of police. Rather than writing a lengthy editorial on the topic, the Collegian’s editorial board simply wrote, “Taser this… FUCK BUSH.”
Because the readership of college newspapers is college students, nearly all of whom are adults, they should be allowed to print profanity without fear of retribution. The purpose of the headline on this editorial is to show that we support college newspapers’ right to run profanity.
Nevertheless, the controversy over the four-word editorial has attracted national media attention. Supporters and opponents of the editorial have all been vocal in expressing their opinions on the matter. When the university held an open forum to discuss the issue last week, 300 people gathered in the classroom to take part, and 200 more lined the hallways outside.
J. David McSwane is the editor in chief of the Collegian. But following the editorial, which ran Sept. 21, his days as editor may be numbered. The nine-member Board of Student Communications at Colorado State will meet on Thursday to decide whether disciplinary action against McSwane is in order.
Whatever the board decides, it will send a powerful message about how much freedom students at Colorado State can expect, and exactly what and who the First Amendment actually protects.
The First Amendment was written into law with the intent of guaranteeing free speech, and protecting the right of individuals to express their views – no matter how unpopular, and seemingly hateful, they may be. The First Amendment gives Ku Klux Klansmen the right to march in parades; it protects civil rights leaders and neo-Nazis alike. Unfortunately, it does not prohibit universities from curbing the speech of students working at most college newspapers.
Although exercising free speech often seems to go against what many would consider wholesome and good, this is truly its chief function. Protecting unpopular views, although perhaps contrary to our instincts, upholds our country’s status as a free democracy.
The Collegian’s editorial clearly lacked context. It was published with nothing about the rationale behind its four-letter expletive, and with no explanation of what it was in reaction to. If the Collegian wanted to make a point, it should have taken the measures necessary to ensure that point was understood.
Despite the editorial’s obviously poor execution, McSwane should not be punished for its content. When Andrew Meyer was Tasered by police in Florida, it was seemingly for nothing more than talking too much. By using just four words, the editorial board at the Collegian has, in effect, triggered the same response.
Free speech cannot be curbed unless it endangers the immediate safety of the populace. Although we do not necessarily agree with the sentiment the editorial expressed, under no stretch of the imagination can the actions of McSwane be considered a promotion of imminent lawless action.
Even though Colorado State can punish McSwane for what may have been a violation of its policies, we hope it will stick to the message it states on its Web site and “support strong student editors and station managers, and reinforce their right to make content decisions independent from University administration involvement or interference” and refrain from sending the wrong message about political speech.
Punishing McSwane would show that the editorial independence Colorado State claims to give its student journalists is only independence until they produce something controversial. That kind of de facto censorship is far more offensive than any four-letter word.
Although the Emerald is independent and has no University oversight, it does have a board of directors that could choose to fire our editor for running the headline on this editorial.