College Columnist Canned for Controversial Comments
by Jim Brown
April 30, 2004
(AgapePress) - A columnist for a student newspaper at Oregon State University has been fired for writing an editorial on socioeconomic problems facing the black community.In his column for The Daily Barometer, senior David Williams said "there is a lack of morality in the black community because African-American leaders, whether Jesse Jackson or the NAACP, choose to rally around minorities who seem to have little quality characteristics about them."
Following a protest on campus, editors of the paper decided to dump Williams for being "racially insensitive and inappropriate." Williams says his former colleagues and university officials have caved in to political correctness.
"They just completely acquiesced and collapsed to pressure," he says. "A few people made enough noise to where they got scared enough to fire me. They didn't stand behind me even though I know I'm right. It's my job [as a columnist] to voice an opinion."
He also contends that if the newspaper editors thought his column was insensitive in the first place, they should not have published it.
Williams says the firing left him "upset and disappointed," and notes he has not ruled out legal action because he believes his First Amendment rights were abridged. He says the university administration, even though it is not directly involved in the controversy, does have oversight of the newspaper.
"Their lack of resolve in this matter really disappoints me -- and I think it's just a reflection of how far back Oregon State is," the ex-columnist says. "Obviously, quelling free speech is still okay -- because if it goes against the PC [politically correct] norm, then that's what they do."
Following the publication of Williams' column, Oregon State officials set up a forum on institutional racism issues in which students called for the dismissal of everyone who saw the column before it went to press.
