on censorship

I wrote this on a discussion board for one of my classes in response to a post from another student defending Free Speech and denouncing all forms of censorship. This is a subject which inflames my passions and brings out the Devil's Advocate in me. Here is what I posted:

If the Lumberjack is a newspaper, that does not exclude it from its dual role as a public relations tool. You may feel that it is not meant to serve such a role, but in reality, that is one purpose it does serve. I do agree that an open public forum is healthy for individuals and the Lumberjack should be open to all points of view which are reflected back to it—including the points of view of parents, administrators, and students of all types (not just the 20 yr old ones). Some form of censorship is an inescapable part of life. If students want to publish sex manuals, they can start an underground publication for that, but it should not represent HSU as the State Institution that it is. I am not advocating total censorship. I just think it is overly idealistic to think that the Lumberjack should be some sort of free-for-all. Checks and Balances should go both ways. I greatly enjoy this topic and appreciate all opinions surrounding it.

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