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The Rice Thresher
6100 Main Street (MS-524)
Houston, TX 77005-1892

Hey Thresher ! Get off your high horse, and give the student body the newspaper they expect.

I think we've had enough protest, enough preaching, enough of keeping this issue alive with the Thresher alone. Because if you had not noticed, the rest of the student body is not up in arms about this. I'm not saying that the First Amendment is not important. On the contrary, I would argue that it is the most important.

With that said, the latest "statement" from the Thresher -- the blank issue -- is a poor one at best. First of all, I question the sincerity of a supposed "protest issue" that comes with a J. Crew insert in the middle and still contains all the ads. Were they included because the Thresher is trying to recoup the money they should have had to refund advertisers when last year's graduation issue came out two months late? And speaking of lateness: Was this issue run because it was deadline time again, and rather than having the paper a day late as it was last week, the staff resorted to this quick and easy solution of writing a staff editorial and being done with it? These are a few alternative motivations that came to my mind that I feel need to be voiced.

Furthermore, I find it interesting that an issue dedicated to the preservation of free speech omits information on how to contribute letters to the editor. I had to look at the previous week's issue to get the appropriate e-mail address. I also wonder where all the letters to the editor that were submitted last week ended up. It shows a distinct lack of respect for opinions that are not that of the Thresher . Even if the Thresher were to run last week's letters this week, there is a factor of timeliness that is being ignored.

This "alert" to the Rice community was poorly done, and more thought should have gone into it. So far this year one issue has been blank and the other late.

If this kind of quality continues, then what the Thresher prints is not going to matter, because no one is going to take the time to read it. And no press at all would be the most tragic blow to freedom of the press Rice could suffer.

Nate Blair

Wiess '98

This item appeared in the Opinion section of the September 19, 1997 issue.