The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10 begs reflection on a cornerstone of our nation: free speech. The Raider Voice staff condemns political violence, in any form, in response to civil discourse.
To uphold the First Amendment means to defend unabashedly every person’s right to express opinions—even, and especially, those one may find disagreeable. How can American rhetoric be called free when even outspoken activists are forced to lock their views away lest they be shot?
Such violations of one of the U.S.’s founding ideals are especially haunting to us as a student-run newspaper. Journalism like ours has too often become the testing ground for limits on freedom of expression. Take the 1988 Supreme Court case Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier. In it, the Court held that “legitimate pedagogical reasons” are sufficient grounds for censoring student-produced speech in public schools.
Though our institution is private—not subject to governmental whims—we are bound by administrative concern for our presentability, and more importantly, our safety. They may begin to fear that bringing light to various issues, even when uncomfortable, may jeopardize community welfare.
If this concern sparks tighter regulation on what is considered “publishable,” our own primordial conviction—the unshakable belief that no perspective should be silenced—would be directly threatened.
If physical brutality or censorship become normal responses to speech, open discussion will vanish, leaving silence where debate used to be. As student journalists, we can’t accept that future. Our job is to write with honesty, ask difficult questions, and publish with courage. By doing so, we uphold The Raider Voice’s vision and protect a core promise of democracy; every voice deserves to be heard.
