Free Speech and the Role of Newspapers

* In his March 13 column on the latest “free speech” brouhaha at UC Berkeley, Agustin Gurza describes as “protesters” and “demonstrators” those whose hurt feelings provoked the apology by the editor of the school newspaper. Gurza would have been more honest had he informed us that these “protesters” were students who were screaming, crying and tearing up papers. Papers were pulled from racks. It is these people and their apologists who constitute a true danger to freedom of speech and not those who promulgate ideas of which both Gurza and the mob disapprove. No amount of obfuscation by Gurza can obscure that fact.

MANUEL H. RODRIGUEZ

Burbank

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Gurza seems a bit idealistic about the role newspapers play in society, as well as free speech and journalism. From the early days of California, newspapers played a partisan role--e.g., yellow journalism, the Red scare and coverage of the zoot suit riots. To suggest that “all publications worry about offending readers” (the UC Berkeley paper’s editor, Daniel Hernandez, asked, “How should a newspaper define what is tasteful, appropriate, bigoted or detrimental to its readership?”) ignores the historical reality of California journalism.

Working people and people of color have been excluded and censored in California newspapers. Latinos such as Hernandez and Gurza are finally getting a chance to enter a profession dominated by whites since the formation of California. Latinos represent the fastest-growing number of consumers in California and Los Angeles. As such, our communities should get a “fair share” of news coverage by journalists at The Times and other newspapers.

JOHN MENDOZA

Pomona