This is more important than many people acknowledge.
Sure, some student newspaper content is self-indulgent, or excessively ideological, or immature, or just whiny. Guess what: So is some news content written and published by established “adults”.
But at a time when independent journalism is under assault from the President and his allies, and corporate shorttermism and popular Iwantitfreeism are shrinking or closing newsrooms, college newspapers are a crucial medium for open expression of independent researching, reporting, and analysis of issues that matter to local communities. They tend to be unfettered by the ruts that other publications find themselves retreading because “that’s the way we’ve always done it” or “people tried that in the Eighties and didn’t succeed.”
Often, the same edition that carries someone’s insistence on banning speakers who are contrary to her well-intentioned ideal also prints calls for open exchange of diverse ideas in free debate. But factional warriors only notice whichever part offends their side and reinforces their stereotypes.