from EXCITE News
http://news.excite.com/news/uw/010307/politics-178
March 7th 2001

U. Wisconsin students hold rally against campus newspaper


By Julia Westhoff
Badger Herald
U. Wisconsin


(U-WIRE) MADISON, Wis. -- Approximately 150 students rallied against The Badger Herald Tuesday outside Bascom Hall before marching to the Herald's offices at 326 W. Gorham St.

The rally, sponsored by several University of Wisconsin-Madison minority groups, followed escalating sentiments among UW minority leaders that UW's independent student newspaper, The Badger Herald, is racist.

At issue is a paid national advertisement by conservative author David Horowitz printed in last Wednesday's Herald and a controversial cartoon in February featuring Ku Klux Klan members.

In an advertisement Monday in The Daily Cardinal, several minority organizations labeled the Herald racist and demanded an apology.

On Tuesday, The Badger Herald editorial board announced it would not apologize for allowing Horowitz to exercise his First Amendment rights and criticized a college newspaper in Berkeley that did apologize for publishing the ad.

Tshaka Barrows, chair of Madison's Multicultural Student Coalition, led the rally, which ended with Madison Police officers ordering the Herald to lock its doors to protect itself from the angry protesters.

At the rally, protesters said The Badger Herald must take responsibility for what it publishes.

"I am outraged; this isn't free speech, this is hate speech," student activist Becky Wasserman said. "The Herald is abusing its power and creating a hostile environment on this campus."

Protesters also denounced the Herald for refusing to print an ad similar to the one in Monday's Daily Cardinal, which labeled the Herald "a racist propaganda machine."

"The Herald denied our First Amendment rights and gave us a bulls**t excuse," Barrows said. "This is a white interpretation of freedom of speech."

The Badger Herald, which retains the right to refuse ads on a case-by-case basis, refused to publish the ad on grounds that it was blatantly false and self-destructive toward the newspaper.

STUDENT COUNCIL CONSIDERS ACTION

Associated Students of Madison chair Mike Dean was also present at the protest, where speakers attacked ASM for its lack of racial diversity. Dean agreed the Herald may have a racism problem and said something needed to be done.

"I think people need to be held accountable for their actions," Dean said. "All they're asking for is an apology -- I don't think that is that hard to do."

In response to the controversy, Student Council representative Adam Goldstein is introducing a bill at this Thursday's Student Council meeting that would eliminate student government advertisements in The Badger Herald.

"Whereas these actions by The Badger Herald have led to a substantial corrosion of campus climate and have made campus life very unpleasant for many students ... no body of ASM shall place advertisements in The Badger Herald," the bill states.

In stark disagreement with Dean and Goldstein, political science professor Donald Downs applauded the actions and decisions of the Herald.

"Students have a right to be upset, and they have the right to protest," he said. "But on the other side, the Herald has the right to publish a provocative article. I think the Herald has acquitted itself well."

Downs said he was impressed with they way the Herald has handled the conflict.

"I came away impressed with how seriously they took the issue," he said. "In the end, they decided to stand by their First Amendment convictions -- that needs to be respected."

Chris Barghout, representing the Palestine Right to a Return Committee, expressed his discontent over what he feels is unfair Arab representation and encouraged those present at the rally to boycott the Herald advertisers.

"We don't have to agree with the press, but they are stonewalling us," Barghout said. "They are racist in that our right to speak has been denied."

Other students at the rally demanded not just an apology, but that Herald editor-in-chief Julie Bosman resign.

"When people print things like that, they don't know how that affects students of color," UW junior Margo Stans said. "Nobody knows how that feels."

Bosman, who will remain editor-in-chief, said she was disappointed the protesters were so quick to discount the Herald's ongoing efforts to improve racial relations on campus.

"In the past month alone, we have run a series on diversity, featured a story on Black History Month and published an in-depth look at hate crimes in Madison," Bosman said. "We hope to continue to improve diversity relations on campus by offering a public forum for discourse."

GROUP BESIEGES HERALD OFFICE

After their rally at Bascom Hall, the group spent over an hour gathered in front of the Herald office, chanting, speaking and encouraging passing cars to honk if they were against racism.

Although the rally ended peacefully, Madison police officers were on hand and reported that some protesters burned copies of The Badger Herald.

Many of those present also signed a petition to ask UW Chancellor John Wiley to act upon his promise to make campus climate his No. 1 priority and stop the Herald from printing racially insensitive material.

ASM representative Jennifer Epps said the protestors have plans to meet with Chancellor Wiley in the near future to discuss their concerns about the Herald and about campus climate in general.

"After today, I'm sure the university will be responsive," she said.

However, Letters and Science Dean of Students Alicia Chavez said the university could not and would not censor or otherwise take action against the Herald.

"We do not intend to [limit distribution]," she said. "We support and encourage many types of student media."

Chavez also pointed out that, as the Herald is an independent newspaper, there is little UW could legally do to censor its actions, even if it wanted to do so.

Nevertheless, Barrows said he will not give up his campaign against The Badger Herald.

"As long as the Herald is allowed to refuse our voice, we must fight," he said.

-- Kristin Wieben and Jay Senter contributed this report.