Wesleyan newspaper boycotted after Black Lives Matter op-ed

Mounting political tensions are well-documented throughout the United States, and college campuses are no exception. Students at Connecticut's Wesleyan University this week have called for a ban and defunding of the school's 147-year-old student newspaper, The Argus, following the printing of an op-ed critical of the Black Lives Matter movement's handling of recent police assassinations which cited the movement. 

Shortly after controversy surrounding the op-ed broke, The Argus published a front-page apology affirming their support of the Black Lives Matter movement, and clarifying that the publication does not implicitly support the content of every op-ed. This was not enough for many students, who claimed that the newspaper "failed to be an inclusive representation of the voices of the student body" and neglected to "provide a safe space for the voices of students of color." 

Supporters argue that the paper not only did not "fail to be an inclusive representation" in publishing a view rarely expressed publicly within the community, and in fact did just that. 

While the student body stays hotly divided on the issue, the Wesleyan administration has affirmed that the students and student publications have freedom of speech rights, and calling for censorship of conservative ideas violates those rights. 

Angered students have taken matters into their own hands, by taking large quantities of the free publication and disposing of them off-campus. This marks the 268th instance of large-scale student newspaper theft since 2000, according to national self-reported statistics. 

Although the administration has spoken, the student discussion will continue. Rebecca Brill, co-editor in chief of the Wesleyan Argus stated: "We will continue to publish even if we are defunded. It’s our responsibility to cover news on this campus and to represent our community.”

The full story from The Washington Post can be found here

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