The other day I suggested that a person being shot at a Milo protest in Washington deserved at least as much coverage as, say, Oberlin students arguing about sandwiches … or even the property damage and action at Berkeley. Because someone was shot.
Now The Chronicle of Higher Education has (paywalled, but this link might work) a detailed, humane, story by Steve Kolowich on Washington. It’s exceptionally well reported, tries hard not to reveal the writer’s biases (I don’t really believe in objectivity, but I do believe that the objective voice is something people can achieve), and lays out the perceptions of the major individuals ON CAMPUS – not Milo – who have to live there before and after he descended.
Notes:
- Milo is free. Breitbart pays his way. That’s why the campus GOP invites him.
- The story does not get into the Campus GOP threats post-Milo, where it promises to use violence at other protesters. That’s likely a factor of when it was written and filed, not an omission.
- The people who experienced doxxing and violence were anti-Milo protesters.
There are lots of stories to be told. The ability of a news organization intent on profiting from division and hate to place speakers on college campuses is a complex one, and protecting free speech matters (it remains a subject for debate whether targeted harassment of vulnerable students is protected speech). But seriously, Milo’s speech rights ARE BEING WELL COVERED!
I’d like every news outlet that publishes a story about Milo’s speech rights to also spend at least 5 minutes considering the speech rights of his targets. I don’t feel like it’s too much to ask.