Our Say is a column that expresses the opinions of the editorial board of The Johnsonian. We address current events, content of our publication and happenings around the Winthrop community.
On Nov. 3, The Johnsonian posted an online article addressing the topic of cultural appropriation and the Winthrop Spirit Squad.
The story featured screenshots and comments of the original, public photoset posted by the Winthrop Spirit Squad Instagram account. The story also featured screenshots of various social media posts made by Winthrop alumni concerning the topic of cultural appropriation.
The Johnsonian’s main prerogative as a hard news outlet and student publication is to report facts in order for our readers to form their own opinion on the subject covered. The purpose of hard news is to educate and spread awareness, never to promote conflict amongst readers, and in this case, students.
We were made aware that one of the subjects in the screenshotted photoset included in The Johnsonian’s article was being harassed and bullied because of the story. We took the photo of the subject(s) down.
The staff of The Johnsonian does not condone bullying of any sort, nor the harassment of any student, and apologize to anyone that was affected negatively by our story. We only meant to report the facts and promote education through the theory of “the marketplace of ideas,” a line of thought directly related to the First Amendment, or freedom of speech.
As a student publication, we are always seeking to improve our news outlet through constructive feedback. If you wish to contact us, please email us at editors@mytjnow.com .
