In an on-the-record interview with the Fish Rap last Wednesday, Bruce Moore, Vice Chancellor for Student Services, made some frightening implications about the future of campus media, specifically referring to Fish Rap and City on a Hill. The subject of the interview was the new organization of the college governments, but the Fish Rap had heard that Moore had designs on our own future. When we asked, this is the answer we got."I'm not at all happy with the Fish Rap," said Moore, although he clarified that the administration had no formal plans to monitor the paper's performance. "I think the stuff you guys print, if you're on it, is junk. We wouldn't let anyone else do that." Moore said that by "anyone else," he was referring specifically to City on a Hill, "If City on a Hill did [what you do,] it would be irresponsible journalism."
That may seem bad, but it got worse. Moore implied that he would do his best to bar the Fish Rap from becoming a campus organization, by inferring that he would use his position as chair of the media council. "And you're coming before the Media council which I chair. So..."
As if implying the threat wasn't enough, he went on to say, "I think [the Fish Rap! practices] irresponsible journalism and if I can change it, I'll change it."
Moore also said our faculty advisor was, "doing a lousy job, to let this stuff happen." While he said he liked the article on the Chancellor's house, he said, "But those other articles, I don't know what value they had."
At the sound of this death knell, we decided that something had to be done before the blade fell. We promptly notified the press, and asked the SUA for their support. Outraged, the SUA immediately drafted a resolution stating, in part, "... we believe that the Fish Rap Live! should not be denied official campus media status based on Bruce Moore's personal biases."
With the support of the student body behind us, and the press keeping a watchful eye on our tenuous position, we went back to Bruce Moore the next day, and told him what had happened. Not only had he changed his tune, he was suddenly playing a completely different record.
"I got too emotionally caught up, and I spoke hastily," said Moore, clarifying his official position. "My commitment to a free campus media has always and will always be a firm one. I don't believe I have censorship powers, nor do I want to censor any publication." He went on to say that there is, "... A great learning process from any journalistic endeavor."
As far as his intention to block the Fish Rap from becoming a campus organization, he said, "The rest of the [journalism community] believes you have a right to join the media council, and I agree with them. I am not going to block your efforts - in fact, I support them."
We believe Bruce Moore, and we're glad he took the time to rethink his position. We fault no-one for their personal biases; most of the staff has been offended by some of the things we've printed. We're just glad to have some reassurance that those in positions of power don't plan to turn their biases into policy that will inevitably hurt more students than it will help.