I am going to take a break from my “Fort Collins versus…” series and address a topic that has had a fairly large impact on CSU’s campus, Fort Collins as a community and myself.
On Friday, September 21, 2007, CSU’s own daily newspaper Rocky Mountain Collegian published an editorial that took the idea of freedom of speech to a new level. The article read, in sum, “Taser this… F--- BUSH,”spelling out the expletive, along with the explanation, “this column represents the views of the Collegian’s editorial board.”
As soon as I read this article it was clear to me that there would be severe ramification for the Collegian. There have been. Since Friday, the paper has suffered a $30,000 loss in advertisements revenue and in an attempt to level out the budget, editor-in-chief J. David McSwane has cut staff salaries by 10 percent.
Unfortunately, the effects of this childish blemish go beyond the newsroom and the present day. Because of the national coverage that this editorial has received, the university’s image has undoubtedly been tarnished. Parents of high school juniors and seniors are tearing up CSU applications and throwing them in the trash. Alumni who have graciously donated to their alma mater in the past are shaking their heads at this, meanwhile slipping their checkbooks back into storage.
I love Fort Collins and CSU. It's unfortunate that a mindless, immature, self-absorbed statement like this is going to paint our community in negative colors. This statement is unfounded among our people, uncharacteristic of our campus and unwelcome in this community!
When I read the "editorial," I went to a computer immediately and this is what I wrote to editor-in-chief J. David McSwane:
“I truly am ashamed to say I wrote for the Collegian after such a crass, moronic statement like this. Those childlike words warrant the walls of a bathroom stall in the PIKE house, not the pages of a professional daily. Have you forgotten your role as a trustworthy news source? Do you have any journalistic integrity? Could you not have found a more appropriate/mature way to voice your appreciation of the first amendment? Apparently not... All the hours I spent interviewing viable sources, capturing the essence of a story using the most captivating words and making sure my AP style was correct is all time wasted. I wouldn't dare show a prospective employer any connection with your newspaper on the chance he read those two words. You really dropped the ball on this one McSwane... you should resign.”
If you would like to send editor-in-chief J. David McSwane your opinion on the matter, click here.
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