Dear Editor,

I was disappointed to see all standards of journalistic integrity tossed out the window in Kathryn Mayer’s recent article on David Horowitz. [“Horowitz talks about Academic Bill of Rights”] Ms. Mayer makes not even a slight attempt at objectivity in covering the controversial figure, instead declaring such astounding things as “Students should be able to trust their professors for help, counsel, and guidance, but the problem is, they can’t.” The quotation marks are mine, not Ms. Mayer’s. Statements like these belong squarely on editorial pages, if they belong anywhere, and have no business on the front page of a newspaper which purports to represent all students. While DU is without doubt a conservative campus in terms of its student body, this fact does not justify The Clarion serving as a mouthpiece for highly controversial views on either the right or the left.

The controversy surrounding Horowitz stems not, as Ms. Mayer suggests, from his status as a conservative, but from his methods and manner. Horowitz claims that liberals outnumber conservatives on college campuses, conveniently forgetting to factor in such traditionally Republican departments as business, economics, and the sciences. His manner, as Ms. Mayer’s article does suggest, is grating and harsh. His tendency to label any critic, right or left, as “fascist” does not contribute to the environment of openness and debate which Mr. Horowitz is so fond of envisioning as a result of his bill. This is hypocrisy at its best. While Horowitz claims his bill is in favor of academic freedom of expression, he decries those students or faculty who disagree with him as extremists.

It is my hope that in the future The Clarion will make some attempt at objectivity. I hate to end on a negative note, so now to the good news: Upon graduation, Ms. Mayer will, no doubt, find a promising career at Fox News.

Sincerely,Graham Ray