Editorial
It is an honor to have been selected to serve as the New Mexico Daily Lobo’s next editor in chief. I have worked at the newspaper for the last three years, which, at times, has been a frustrating, infuriating experience. It is also the best job I have ever had.
Serving as the editor of an independent newspaper is not an easy job, which I have quickly been reminded of on my first day. It was a difficult decision, but the advertising mangers, managing editor and I decided to run the reparations advertisement written by David Horowitz on page five of today’s edition.
After Horowitz’s Center for the Study of Popular Culture approached the newspaper about running the advertisement, some Daily Lobo staff members voiced their concerns and do not support the decision to run it. Others strongly supported the publication of the advertisement because they feel it is important to protect freedom of speech. Ultimately, the decision was in the hands of the advertising mangers and top editors.
I was selected as editor to preserve the Daily Lobo as an open forum and don’t believe that I would have been doing my job had the newspaper not run the advertisement. My instincts tell me that it is more important to protect free speech when it is unpopular to do so.
The newspaper reserves the right to reject content, but we mostly reject advertisements such as those promoting escort services that are clearly fronts for prostitution or are scams that may harm readers.
The Horowitz advertisement is one that espouses his political beliefs regarding a topic being debated nationally. I do not agree with portions of Horowitz’s advertisement, but I don’t believe that, as a result, I should silence his right to speak. Once we begin to silence the speech of others, when do we stop?
I am disappointed that students at other universities chose to attack the newspapers that published the Horowitz advertisement. Rather than targeting the content of the advertisement, the students assailed Horowitz’s right to speak. Thankfully, the threat of a violent backlash was not enough to dissuade the Daily Lobo staff from doing its job and running an advertisement that met the newspaper’s basic standards for publication.
It is my sincerest hope that those who have strong feelings about this advertisement use it as an opportunity to discuss reparations and their thoughts about racism. I encourage readers to feel free to respond to this advertisement by submitting a letter to the editor, keeping in mind that the newspaper has a 500-word limit. I will do my best to run as many letters as possible and will do my part throughout this year to maintain the New Mexico Daily Lobo as an open forum for the UNM community.
Iliana Lim¢n
Editor in chief
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