Reply to New Wilson Principal and the Beacon paper

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=jsteele]In her interview with the Wilson Beacon this summer, Principal Martin was asked about prior review of school newspapers. She avoided a direct answer and sort of danced around the topic. Now, of course, we know that she could have simply and honestly answered, "yes". But, it turns out that even the answer she gave was a very loose interpretation (to put it nicely) of the truth. Here is the question and answer:

[quote]
ED: Do you believe in freedom of the press for us or do you believe in prior review of the paper for students?

KM: I think in the last three years here in Aspen, I probably had two discussions with the newspaper about something they were reporting. I wasn’t trying to censor the content, it was like this is not an accurate quote or you have to dig to find this information here. I certainly think even if it’s a perspective that’s unpopular, meaning, even if it’s something that’s negative against me or towards me, I totally understand that. However, I do think that the best papers have to be accurate and honest, and have fair reporting – there are ethical standards that have to be met.
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http://thewilsonbeacon.com/question-and-answer-with-kimberly-martin/

Now, Erik Wemple has talked to folks involved with the newspaper at Aspen High School where Martin was previously the Principal. They recount an example of Martin directly stopping a story from being published. As they describe it, Martin went far beyond confirming that quotes were accurate or requesting further digging:

[quote]
Elizabeth Stewart-Severy, an Aspen High English teacher and adviser to the "Skier Scribbler," confirms Sichel’s account. "The student made all the changes Kim [Martin] requested, and we went through several drafts. She actually stopped replying and finally, a month later, said that under no circumstances could we publish the article."
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2015/09/01/at-colorado-post-wilson-high-principal-squelched-critical-school-newspaper-article/

[/quote]

Oh boy. I almost wish I hadn't read this. She raised concerns, demanded revisions, didn't return calls, and then yelled at them and told them they couldn't print.

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