The Badger-Herald, an independent student paper at the U. of Wisconsin-Madison, raised a ruckus by publishing a Holocaust denier’s paid advertisement on its website.
The $75 ad, taken out by Bradley Smith links to a scurrilous web site called Committee for Open Debate on the Holocaust (CODOH). I don’t want to give CODOH the benefit of any traffic, so I’m not linking to them.
Editor Jason Smathers defended the ad. School Chancellor Biddy Martin criticizes Holocaust denial in a general way but is silent on whether the ad should have been published.
It’s a shame that neither Smathers nor Chancellor Biddy learned from Harvard Crimson. Last year, The Crimson’s editors apologized after running a paid ad by the same Bradley Smith.
A related letter in the Daily Cardinal (another independent campus paper) makes a strong case for why journalistic ethics also apply to advertisements. Student Rachel Racoosin writes:
The media kits for both The Daily Cardinal and The Badger Herald state that the newspapers reserve the right to reject any ad deemed libelous or offensive. The CODOH advertisement is offensive content, and despite the Herald’s own guidelines it continues to be displayed. Both student newspapers have a responsibility to the campus community to adhere to their own principles as well as to maintain journalistic integrity.
I believe in the benefits of an open marketplace of ideas; however, an advertisement is not an opinion piece. The Badger Herald chose to associate its name with the CODOH and in turn chose to connect their readers—the campus community—to a website promoting the denial of the Holocaust.
More details at the Madison State Journal, via Romenesko.
