Wright State University’s campus newspaper The Guardian placed an advertisement in multiple issues that has raised controversy on campus.
The ad was offering readers a way to earn money by distributing a "rebel tabloid" called The First Freedom. The tabloid is meant to represent "straight whites."
The Guardian first placed the ad over two weeks ago, but it wasn’t until this week that an unknown individual sent a complaint about the ad to local media outlets.
Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian Brandon Semler said that the ad was paid for, and that it was not at all associated with The Guardian as an organization.
“It falls under the first amendment and we didn’t want to limit first amendment rights,” said Semler.
The first amendment in the United States Constitution is meant to protect individuals’ freedom of expression, including the freedom of speech.
“The newspaper is public property. Just because they can [run it] doesn’t mean they should,” said Sarah Neuss, a senior athletic training major. “I don’t like that it’s in there.”
The ad has been removed from the website and will no longer be printed.
“We will be meeting soon as an organization to talk about how we treat these issues from now on,” said Semler.
The Guardian will update as more information is gathered.
