Last night, the Kaleidoscope Center for Cultural Fluency hosted "When Words Offend: A Conversation on Political Correctness and Free Speech in College Media," a panel discussion between students and the editors of various University publications.
Panelists included Individual Rights Coalition President Anthony Dick, Declaration Literary Editor Andrew Pratt, Declaration News Editor David Dexter, Virginia Advocate Executive Editor Chris Vickers, Critical Mass editorial board member Matt Kindig, All Women Attaining Knowledge and Enrichment President Jill Raney and Cavalier Daily Editor-in-Chief Chris Wilson.
University spokesperson Carol Wood served as moderator.
Wood began the discussion by pointing to Thomas Jefferson's belief in the necessity of the press in protecting the opinion of the people.
Wood asked the audience to put themselves in the shoes of the editors and ask: Do the articles in the publications "reflect what you see and how you live in the University community?"
The panelists then discussed potential reactions to media coverage of University issues.
"People have opinions whether intentional or otherwise," Kindig said. "It is always possible that someone will be offended by an article."
Dick pointed out that some media publications are pressured to restrict content rather than risk offending certain readers.
"There is a trend in which offensiveness should at the very least be avoided," Dick said. "Open discussion and vigorous debate is impossible without the right to express views and opinions that others consider offensive."
Panelists and students debated the responsibility of writers and editors in developing the content of their publications.
Fourth-year College student Erva Cockfield said the problem with the media is its lack of "critical analysis" and that writers do not research their topics enough before composing an article.
"The writer must be responsible for his own writing," Dexter said. "We as editors decide what to print, not limiting the speech of the writers but just their speech through us."
Wood said she was pleased with the size of the audience, considering its competition with Major League baseball and an otherwise busy Wednesday night.
"We had a very good discussion tonight," Wood said. "The editors being accessible and wanting to hear what fellow students have to say is important."
Dexter and Pratt also said they pleased with the panel, noting that even though issues are difficult to pinpoint, it is imperative to talk about how the public frames them.
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