We cannot lose our common sense

As a journalist, and especially as the editorĀ­-in-Ā­chief of this paper, I have dealt with my fair shareĀ of ethical issues. Thereā€™s always the fine line of wanting to grab peopleā€™s attention and beingĀ offensive, and that line is easily crossed. Iā€™m extremely supportive of the freedom of press andĀ speech, but common sense is also important.

A close friend recently sent me an image from the front page of another universityā€™s front page.

Her friend goes to Plattsburgh State University of New York (SUNY Plattsburgh), and herĀ schoolā€™s paper, Cardinal Points, published an extremely offensive cartoon on Oct. 23. TheĀ article was about minority admissions at schools across the country, and SUNY Plattsburghā€™sĀ part in that story. Innocuous enough. However, the editorial board decided to accompany theĀ article with a cartoon of a black student wearing a cap and gown walking through a runĀ­-downĀ neighborhood. The cartoon will not be reprinted in this paper.

When I saw it, several thoughts ran through my head. Who would publish a cartoon on theĀ front page (The Transcript publishes cartoons on the opinion page)? Besides the placement of theĀ cartoon, I had some other questions. Who approved this? Who in their right mind would thinkĀ this was okay? My friend told me students at SUNY Plattsburgh were upset, and rightly so.

The paper is an independent publication, just like ours. But I would like to think we have moreĀ common sense than to publish something that would offend the entire campus. The editorialĀ board at Cardinal Points apologized, but Iā€™m not sure how much difference it will make for theirĀ reputation.

As an editor, I would gladly run a contributorā€™s piece about something I disagree with or evenĀ take offense to. But thereā€™s a difference between getting every side of a story and baiting readersĀ with provocative, offensive content. Salacious headlines and front covers from newspapers andĀ magazines grab readersā€™ attentions worldwide. For example, the day after the WDBJ shooting, inĀ which a reporter and cameraman were killed onĀ­air, The New York Daily News decided to haveĀ stills of the shooting on their front page. Would that grab readersā€™ attention? Probably. But wasĀ that the right thing to do? No.

Journalists want to get the important news out to their readers. But in doing so, we have to makeĀ sure we donā€™t cross that impossibly line. Itā€™s a difficult thing to do, but we need to use ourĀ common sense during the editorial process.