Buyer Beware: SPEAK UP!

 image from: southshorehospital.org

For our Buyer Beware project we decided to take a look at censorship in post-secondary institutions across Winnipeg. Our research included interviews with editors and students, an online survey, an experimental letter to the editor, and Internet research of famous censorship scandals.

Some things didn’t surprise me; like sometimes editors cannot publish articles that deal with what they think would be offensive to certain groups. But one thing that did surprise me was that it was the students who censor themselves by not speaking out.


I was also surprised to learn that two editors thought The Projector (RRC campus newspaper) enforced freedom of speech, and yet they backtracked and contradicted themselves. They thought it was a place of freedom of speech BUT. The ‘but’ included material that others would find offensive. So it brings up the question of where do you draw the line? Are they right to monitor a supposedly “Freedom of speech” newspaper?

This is a question I ask myself now when I read the paper.True, the editors believed it was a place they broadcast all opinions, but why are writers having to sit down with editors to convince them what is said should be said in an article?

So next time you are writing something for the paper, make sure your voice is heard. Make sure when they edit what you have written, they have not taken YOU out of the equation and inserted their beliefs. If we were in the game of not offending people, we wouldn’t be writing for the paper.

As you are reading the school papers be sure to take a critical eye to what is being said throughout and if you have a problem with it, make sure you talk about it. If you think something is being censored when it shouldn’t be, then speak up. We are only censoring ourselves when we don’t.

Through our research we found that students were censoring themselves, more then any other external source. For instance, we found that although students felt their school media outlets were a safe place to voice their opinion 56% of students on our Internet poll said they had never done such a thing. This is overwhelming evidence that we are scared to speak up. We have no one to blame but ourselves in a situation like that.

We found some really interesting information out about letters to the editor and how the unpopular, scandalous side of things often isn’t published.

Garrick wrote how he thought that the U of W cutting funding to disability services were a good thing and they should continue with that plan. Well, the university newspapers he sent it to, didn’t even bother to respond.

On the other hand, Veronica wrote a letter that outlined the positive effects of disability services at the U of W and how they should continue funding, she was told they would run it in The Uniter and The Projector asked her to do an article on it.


These were clear examples of how certain voices aren’t heard on university campuses across Winnipeg. But as students we have to make sure we are doing enough to get our voices heard. If we do not speak up, we are censoring ourselves. When we watch what we say at class and school newspapers we are conforming to a silent crowd of onlookers. We need to become more involved in campus life. Then only can we have true freedom of speech.

I personally think I will be more aware of the censorship that I engage in. I have learned a lot through this Buyer Beware that explains why my peers and I are so inclined to be quiet. It does not just affect us, it affects the environment around us as well. It affects what we read about in the school newspapers, hear on the radio and one day will affect what not only universities see and hear but what the world sees and hears. We need to learn early on that we have a voice. We need to learn what that voice is, and how to use it to our best advantage. I don’t have a cause to fight for, as of yet, but believe me when I find one I will let you know.