Alex Boyer
Contrary to what some believe, The Wooster Voice has not committed “treason” or “libel.” The Wooster Voice is also not responsible for harming Ms. Loether’s reputation; unfortunately, she jeopardized herself the moment she began to allegedly sell illicit drugs from her dorm room. It is standard procedure for employers to check an applicant’s police record, not the latest copy of a campus newspaper. The Voice has a journalistic obligation to inform students, faculty and staff of incidents on campus. If something important happens on campus, the Voice can, and should, report the full extent of it — that is literally what journalism is! A vital part of that journalist obligation is printing the facts, free from censure. If the Voice had withheld Ms. Loether’s name, the article would have promoted spiteful gossip, which may have hurt innocent people. Instead, they released all the information they had, therefore preventing further malicious rumors.
On Friday, many students claimed that the Voice had libeled and slandered Ms. Loether — this is incorrect. Firstly, as a newspaper, slander does not apply (slander being spoken, not written). Secondly, libel relies upon printing information that is not true. Everything that the Voice printed in the article last week is factually accurate; therefore, libel has absolutely no standing.
Other students referred to Ms. Loether as a victim of the War on Drugs. Although she allegedly made poor decisions, she is not a victim, much less a victim of the War on Drugs. A girl sent into human trafficking by a Mexican cartel — she’s a victim of the War on Drugs. A young black man in an urban area sentenced to 15 years in prison for possessing the same amount of drugs that students here would get “a slap on the wrist” for—he’s a victim of the War on Drugs. To try and say that all situations are equal is an insult to the thousands of real victims of America’s drug policies. If a marginalized person that society stereotypically associates with drug use was arrested for selling LSD on campus, instead of a young woman perceived to have “a good future now ruined” and “a good reputation,” would there have been such an outburst from publishing his or her name?
As we move on from this event, it is vital to remember that the “Wooster Bubble” is extremely thick. We want to believe that nothing bad can happen and that no one’s feelings will be hurt. However, as undergraduate students, we are here to prepare for the world outside the bubble, where there are always unpleasant consequences.