Censorship at Ithaca College
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I’ve been trying for a couple weeks to address this issue here at IC. Some background. A piece was written by a member of the class of 2008 named Emily McNeil. She wrote about her experience being a volunteer helping people in the West Bank, specifically she was supporting the Palestinian civilians who are being wronged by the Israeli citizens and military. Her piece was published in the IC View, a monthly send out to parents, students, and alumni of Ithaca College. Many alumni rose up claiming this was an anti-jewish piece, a pro-hamas piece, or many other awful things. This pressured the President into writing a formal apology in the next IC View, as well as forcing the IC View editor to do the same, and creating a new review board for IC View submissions. Many members of the student body have risen up about how this is essentially censorship.
The piece can be read here. Please read it, it’s a great piece which really closely examines the awful circumstances these people are placed in. There is also nothing inflammatory about it. You can read the President’s apology here, and the editor’s apology here.
I was torn as to how I felt about the piece, my first problem being that her point has been made moot. She tried to ignite debate on the role of civilians within war, and ended up igniting a debate on what can be published in a school newspaper. When this has been resolved her original point will be lost by the wayside, and that is the saddest part about this whole thing. Since I am uninformed, I wrote my brother who is a journalist in Lebanon, and asked his opinion, as the Middle East is one of his areas of specialty. His response is much more eloquent than I could have put together here, so I am simply linking to what he wrote me on his blog. Please read it, it’s really important, and please read the other pieces as well. You can make up your own mind, but I think it’s clear that we have staked Emily McNeil out to die in front of the masses simply because she offered a first person account. I ask, like my brother does, that anyone who has a problem with it go do what she did. It’s easy to criticize from a comfy home in the United States. Go to the West Bank and then tell her she’s wrong, I dare you.
Will’s Blog Post on the matter.
~Ned Donovan
