Everyone deserves freedom of the press; be responsible

As defined by the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, the term “genocide” is rooted in both Greek and Latin: the prefix -genos, meaning race or tribe, and the Latin suffix -cide, meaning killing. First coined by lawyer Raphäel Lemkin in response to the Holocaust, the term has since been used to refer to prior and subsequent events in which groups of people were targeted because of their racial or ethnic affiliation.

An opinion printed in the April 18 edition of The Record stated that “the largest genocide in human history is the abortion genocide happening around us every day.” As a fervent supporter of the First Amendment and the importance of newspapers as public forums, I support the right of all students to share their voices and commend the members of the Students for Life club for using the student newspaper as a space to encourage discourse.

However, I do not support the use of fearmongering and fallacies in journalism. The purpose of quality journalism in the United States is to uphold democratic ideals, one of which is the pursuit of truth. And, as philosopher John Stuart Mill noted in his book entitled “On Liberty,” knowledge results from the collision of truth with error, thus encouraging a free marketplace of ideas.

It is extremely important that all students, regardless of background or belief, utilize the opportunities for expression on campus, including submitting to The Record. In doing so, however, it is important to acknowledge the vital duty one has to correctly interpret the sources and attributions one chooses to incorporate. Data from scientific studies is often used for shock value. Omitting crucial information such as population size and demographics, response rate, sampling style and the author’s credentials results in incomplete and unrepresentative statistics.

Additionally, emotionally charged language, though impactful, rarely correlates to one’s argument and instead elicits responses that are disproportionately charged. For example, phrases such as “brutally cut up” and “stop murdering children” appeal to one’s emotions but do little to encourage dialogue about abortion and the creation of life.

It’s a false dilemma, a fallacy that forces people onto one side of the issue whether they want to be there or not, because who would ever be for genocide? In the future, I encourage members of the Students for Life club to consider the language they use when responding to criticism.

Advocacy cannot exist without mutual respect for those with opposing perspectives. Respect does not mean sharing the same values but rather acknowledging the importance of all voices. Incorrectly using the term genocide to refer to abortion within the U.S. does little to increase the club’s credibility but rather encourages students to fixate on the article’s inadequacies instead of the intended issue.

It’s a red herring, a fallacy meaning misdirection. It means we end up debating the meaning of the term “genocide,” instead of debating the actual issue of abortion. Campus newspapers are vital to the intellectual development of college students, and every student should have the opportunity to submit opinion pieces.

If one chooses to do so, however, it is essential to acknowledge the importance of journalistic integrity and how one’s biases impact the framing of fact and fiction. Emotionalism, flawed logic, spin and unsubstantiated claims have no place in an award-winning collegiate newspaper