The position of opinions editor appealed to me for many reasons. Nevertheless, there is only one reason worth mentioning: As opinions editor, I would be allowed to mediate, or in another sense facilitate, intellectual discussion on this campus. As a person who consistently thirsts for knowledge, the Daily 49er’s opinions page will, as long as I’m responsible for its production, reflect this thirst.
I came into this position with a simple understanding, that is enumerated in our mission statement. A student newspaper is an open forum, where with little exception free speech runs rampant — sometimes for better and sometimes for worse.
With this understanding, the question of whether or not a school newspaper should have a political leaning is easily and simply answered with a “no.” The Daily 49er’s opinion section will not always publish liberal views on issues; nor will it always publish conservative views on issues. The issues discussed are analyzed while considering the context.
We aim to produce a sort of “print” open forum. As long as one is a competent writer, and is not espousing hate or inciting violence, he or she will have an opportunity to speak or — in our scope — write.
This semester, the paper has published a member of the Party for Liberation and Socialism, Marylou Cabral, and a member of the American Third Option party, Kevin MacDonald. Is this hypocrisy? No. It simply reflects our quest for an open exchange of ideas — liberal or conservative, socialist or capitalist.
It is my firm belief that any extreme view is rarely right and that, in the eyes of reason, moderation will always prevail. President F. King Alexander was right when he quoted Thomas Jefferson: “errors of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it.”
If you don’t like something published in our opinions section, write us, comment on our Web site, or even contribute to the section.
This is our school newspaper. Whether you are a Cal State Long Beach faculty member or a student, you are more than welcome to contribute to the opinions section.
The more voices we have and the more opinions we can garner, the easier we, as students, can arrive at an understanding of the world around us.
The Daily 49er is not the Los Angeles Times or the New York Times; it is not the Wall Street Journal or the Orange County Register. It is not FOX News or MSNBC. We do not lean to the left nor do we lean to the right.
Zien Halwani is a sophomore biology and philosophy double major and the opinions editor for the Daily 49er.