Associated Press story “High school newspaper axed over content” caught my attention. Attention you could expect from a fellow who edited his junior high, high school, and university student newspapers.
Grand Islands, Nebraska high school administrators swung the axe. News story says they ”shuttered the school’s award-winning student newspaper just days after its last edition that included articles and editorials about LGBTQ issues…”
My high school principal wanted to stop newspaper stories about high school sororities and fraternities. My university student-body president wanted to impeach me because I reported a proposal to integrate Texas student government meetings. In 1950, ‘integration’ was a word that smoked out all sorts of opinions. A smoke-bomb under my old coupe’s hood told me someone didn’t want to read about integration.
When I wrote about dogwoods blooming in East Texas—tradition says that’s when political candidates should wait to bloom—an alum wrote “glad to see you writing about something white for a change.”
Biggest mistake pointed out by a professor–I limited the letters to the editor after they filled two pages. Differing “Firing Line” opinions quit coming.
You can conclude that I learned that the more difference of printed opinions, the more valuable your publication.
Someone needs to tell that truth to the Nebraska school administrators.
Photo by qvist at Shutterstock
