Editor, Daily Nexus

The opinion column by Scott Talkov, “True Free Speech Can’t Be Censored” (Daily Nexus, May 20) argued against A.S. Legislative Council’s proposed liaison with the belief that “we are to trust our campus newspaper as a fair and unbiased source.” That is the problem.

If students felt the Nexus was unbiased, there would be no need to create the liaison position.

First, the liaison position would entail representing the queer and minority communities. Whenever the Nexus was planning to publish sensitive or controversial article, the liaison could be contacted to get the viewpoint of the community. Let me emphasize that the liaison is an optional reference.

For instance, in 2000, an article in the Daily Friday satire section (“Mostly Mojado’s Words of Wisdom,” Daily Nexus, Oct. 13, 2000) used a derogatory word to refer to a member of the Latino community because Nexus staff did not realize the word meant “wetback.” If there had been a liaison who could be contacted, this would not have happened and the Nexus would never have had to apologize to the Latino community.

Understand that the liaison is not a censorship position.

The Nexus is free to publish what it wants. In a meeting with this year’s editor in chief, Brendan Buhler, and next year’s editor in chief, Daniel Haier, it was already agreed between the Nexus and the community that the Nexus is not purposefully derogatory. That does not mean it should not be held accountable for its mistakes.

The liaison would at least give certain communities the chance to offer the Nexus the option of being unbiased before publication, thus preventing controversy.

Perhaps some members of the Nexus staff do not know what it feels like to be called a derogatory term, or to feel a hundred stares because as a black man you may be associated with Riccardo Apollo King Jr., so not everyone sympathizes. However, as a newspaper on a campus of higher education and a place where students can be who they are without discrimination from the institution, the Nexus has a responsibility to uphold the principles of this university.