Advertising Freedom

In our 85-year history, we have always encouraged a healthy dialogue
between you, our readers, and our editorial staff.

In the spirit of that tradition, we’ll address your concerns about a paid advertisement from the Human Life Alliance, a nonprofit pro-life organization,
that appeared as 12-page insert in last week’s edition.

First, we’ll set the record straight:The ad’s content – and that of any of our other advertisers – does not represent the views of “The Temple News.”

As journalists, whose profession is incumbent upon our First Amendment
right, we’d find it not only hypocritical, but also wrong to deny that right of anyone. Not only do we benefit from it, but all Americans do. The fact that that same content made many of you uncomfortable does not mean that our decision to run the advertisement was unethical.

For journalists, that freedom allowed to us in the Bill of Rights is particularly important because it is the pillar upon which our craft rests.

Without the First Amendment, we’d be out of jobs.So when it comes to speech, we’ll always stand on the side of the First Amendment and never on the side of censorship.

But make no mistake – we understand that the freedom of speech is not absolute. The courts have determined that and so we too must be careful and mindful of what we allow on our pages.

The advertisement could have easily been from a nonprofit pro-choice organization.

But the ad’s message is not the point, nor should it be.

We believe that our decision to run the ad was based on support of the First Amendment. Not running the ad would have been censorship.

As journalists, we can never be in favor of censorship. So if the situation presents itself again, you can now be clear of where we stand.

And that’s on the pillars of the First Amendment.