Ellington

To the Editor:

As the body charged with maintaining the integrity of all student media associated with Baker University and defending their First Amendment rights, we felt compelled to address concerns about attempted censorship and questions of what makes a story newsworthy.

First, we must condemn the actions of those who orchestrated the theft of April 7's issue of the Orange. Several witnesses provide an unmistakable timeline that indicates the papers were taken in a well organized fashion.

As Baldwin City police investigate this incident, it seems apparent that the papers were taken in an effort to prevent readers from learning that a student on campus had been arrested and was facing a series of serious drug trafficking charges. Make no mistake: the taking of the papers is a case of theft. It seems ironic that in their efforts to cover-up alleged criminal activities, those involved in taking the newspapers have themselves committed a criminal act.

Second, many have said the paper had no right to print the story. We would argue in response that the Orange has not just a right but an obligation to inform its community of matters of public interest. Serious ethical questions would have been raised if the Orange editor had elected not to publish the story. It also should be noted that five newspapers published this story in addition to The Baker Orange. This would seem to provide external support that the information was, in fact, a valid news story and of interest to a large number of people.

The article that appeared in the April 7 edition was factual, accurate and free of editorial comment. The information contained in the article was provided by a police report, which is a document of public record. The staff of the Orange did exactly what it was supposed to do. To condemn it for doing its job, and doing it correctly, is grossly unfair to a group of students that put in many hours each week in a student laboratory designed to prepare them for a responsible future in media.

If members of the university community disagree with the actions of student media or a story that appears in Baker's student media, we encourage their opposing points of view. The appropriate means of expressing dissent, however, is not to steal a student group's work product or to speak negatively of the newspaper in hidden corners.

Instead, we would urge these individuals to find the courage to speak out publicly via appropriate venues, such as letters to the editor. Such a dialogue would make a significant contribution to the liberal arts environment upon which Baker University thrives.

Sincerely,

Members of the Student Media Board: Dr. Gwyn Mellinger, Dr. Joe Watson, Mr. Mark Kirk, Dr. Susan Emel, Mr. Tom Hedrick, Dr. Ann Rosenthal, Dr. Jeff Hedrick, Jen Thierer,Taylor Atkins, Brad O'Bryhim, Nate Swihart, Dr. Lucy Price