A Newspaper’s Dilemma on the First Amendment Debate – Newport This Week

I n recent weeks, we have received letters addressing the removal of the Christopher Columbus statue, wearing masks and the Black Lives Matter movement. Some of that reader correspondence has expressed what could be perceived as unpopular views. By unpopular, we mean opinions that are not widely held and may be considered prejudiced or misinformed.

As publisher of Newport This Week, I view the Letters to the Editor page as a neutral place for people to express their opinions on local issues. Although it is not expressly stated in our letters policy statement, letters are opinion of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of the paper. I feel an obligation to run all letters. Our policy states, We will print letters sent to us that adhere to guidelines for taste, accuracy, fairness and public interest. With this broad, sweeping statement, we hope our intentions are clear.

And of course its important to recognize that even ugly speech that we may despise is broadly protected under the First Amendment, which states that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

While some would say that I am part of the Fourth Estate, I mostly consider myself one person who is part of the community, working hard to help everyone stay informed of what is happening locally. In my opinion, the Letters to the Editor page is a place for an exchange of thoughts.

Letters allow readers to weigh in on coverage or sound off on issues. They also give publications a way to print opinions that differ from the rest of the newspapers content. More than one person has observed that a good way to respond to offensive ideas or speech is through more speech. In that vein, we invite you to exercise your own freedom of speech by contributing to our letters pages.

Noise and comments posted to our Facebook page about letters we run are similar to the social media experience of the nations most well-regarded newspapers. According to a recent Washington Post article, Debates have been raging this summer about how forums devoted to an exchange of ideas should deal with incendiary topics and toxic words. But its an issue that local newspapers have been grappling with for decades.

Between the coronavirus pandemic and protests sparked by the deaths of unarmed Black people at the hands of police, letters across the nation have been fiery lately, triggering controversy for several newspapers. Nonetheless, we will continue to allow our readers to express opinions that meet our guidelines, even if, in some cases, they are not widely held views and/or could be met with disdain.

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A Newspaper's Dilemma on the First Amendment Debate - Newport This Week