Newsgroups: soc.college Subject: CODOH's paid advertisements: Michigan State (3/4) Summary: Letters to the editor address CODOH's advertisement regarding the Holocaust Memorial museum in Washington, D.C. Followup-To: alt.revisionism Distribution: world Organization: The Old Frog's Almanac Keywords: CODOH Archive/File: orgs/american/codoh/university.response msu.003 Last-Modified: 1993/10/24 _The State News_ of Michigan State University Monday, October 18, 1993 REGARDLESS OF RIGHT, ADVERTISEMENT WAS WRONG by Suzette Hackney, editor in cheif It's time for me to address an issue of importance to The State News staff, myself and the MSU community. On Friday, The State News ran a paid advertisement titled "A Revisionist's View of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C." The advertisement questioned the validity of the Holocaust that led to the death of millions of Jewish people. According to the ad, there is no proof of gassing of Jews during World War II. While the group that purchased the ad, the Committee for Open Debate on the Holocaust, had the right to do so, readers must realize what an impact such a hatefilled and hurtful ad can have on a campus community. Freedom of speech allowed the group to buy the ad, but ignorance actually made them write it. It is important that State News readers know the ad was not meant to hurt anyone or cause any divisiveness on campus. I would hope that by now, as we all claim to be seeking and receiving a "higher education," readers would take the ad for what it was: a lie. There is no denying that the Holocaust occurred, and there is no denying that it is a painful part of history that will never be forgotten. For a group to try to say otherwise is ludicrous and frightening, but it also makes me feel better to know that those people are out there. Personally, I want to know what people are thinking, even if it hurts me. But, we cannot only blame the ignorant people of CODOH because running the advertisement was ultimately up to The State News retail department. It is something we take full responsibility for, and we apologize for the pain it caused. Every day we come across decisions as to what should be printed in the paper. Every day the decisions become more difficult to make. Should the First Amendment give people the right to hurt others? Unfortunately, yes, it can. While freedom of speech is something we could never sacrifice, it does leave room for misunderstanding, hurt feelings and ultimately hate. But would you rather it didn't exist? I don't. I want readers to know the difference between a paid advertisement and editorial content in our paper. Although the ad did appear in The State News, it was not The State News staff talking. It was not an article written by one of our reporters, but something that we could not change. You ask, "Why run it then?" We ran it because the CODOH had the right to purchase space in our paper. But in the future, I promise we will take into consideration more than the rights of the CODOH or other hateful groups. Instead, we will think about the right each and every student on this campus has to be happy and feel accepted. Followups directed to alt.revisionism
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