The UB Post

Point

If I learned anything from editing my high school's newspaper, it was that censorship chokes the ability of the press to be fair and accurate. The school paper was scrutinized by administration, which hindered reporters if they wanted to use an angle that even remotely criticized the school's management.

I understood administration's concerns—part of their job was to safeguard the school's reputation—but through this censorship, important issues went uninvestigated by the paper's staff and unnoticed by the student body. The only gripes that were allowed to be printed were so trivial that the paper sounded more like a brochure from the admissions department than an independent publication. Censorship became so widespread that it slowed down the paper's printing process; new issues hit stands only once every few months.

The threat of censorship is very real if The UB Post continues to be directly tied to the university. Fleeting comments on how articles are "negative," while non-binding, hinder our ability to present a clear, unbiased perspective on topics important to the community.

Coming from a school at which the paper was a mouthpiece for administrators, I found The UB Post to be a breath of fresh air with its unadultered ability to question authority while still maintaining its journalistic integrity. UB students must not take this precious resource for granted.

A fully independent paper will provide a source for unbiased, unfiltered news about the issues that directly affect every UB student, from parking fees to class sizes. I urge my fellow students to support The UB Post's independence so that it can maintain the standard of journalism that we know and deserve.

Daniel Flanagan, pre-jurisprudence major and copy editor for The UB Post, can be reached at daniel.flanagan@ubalt.edu.

CounterPoint

Populated entirely by students, including the editor in chief, The UB Post staff is very much like any student organization. The UB Post uses university resources, such as phones, computers and Internet access. Alongside any other student organization, The UB Post participates in campus fundraisers and campus-sponsored events, such as the Welcome Back Party, where the school provides free food to get people to show up. The paper benefits from the school's facilities and amenities, all from an office inside the Student Center.

Accordingly, The UB Post currently derives half of its funding through student fees. Surely, this should carry some weight in the editorial content presented. Shouldn't money from our tuition be used to further the goals of the school instead of looking for dirt on it? The school doesn't have to worry about the student government or staff saying things that might make us look bad, so why should they have to worry about it from a newspaper they pay to run?

Think of all the advantages a pro-school newspaper could have. We would still get things like personal interest stories and student write-ups (so long as they're flattering to the school) as well as specials about our sports teams and our extracurricular efforts (equally flattering). If the newspaper promotes the school, UB may be able to recruit more students, or they may be able to charge more for tuition.

What prospective student wants to read about favoritism, infighting or avarice found in a school they're considering attending? The paper should be trumpeting the school's accomplishments and glossing over (or ignoring completely) its less than stellar qualities.

Let's leave the Woodward and Bernstein stuff to the big players and have a nice little school newspaper that doesn't make any waves.

Scott Palmer, 3L and opinion editor for The UB Post, can be reached at scott.palmer@ubalt.edu.

Next month's question:

Should texting or talking on a cell phone without a hands-free device while driving be illegal?