"The Wrong Lesson: Teaching College Reporters to be Meek" - David Wallis

David Wallis has suggested good examples of restrictions on college journalists to express their thoughts and speech freely in the article “The Wrong Lesson: Teaching College Reporters to be Meek”. According to the article, the main targets that Wallis is pointing his fingers at are the private, religious-based colleges as well as all other colleges that are limiting college journalists in expressing their writings freely. As a journalist and writer himself, Wallis has pointed out the limitations and restrictions that are imposed on college journalists. I believed that these boundaries are set for the students in order to provide the college with an outstanding public reputation. In this case, as Wallis has said, are depriving away the college student journalists’ right to freedom of speech and religion – simply as the 1^st amendment. Throughout the argument, I think Wallis does an effective job in building up his argument with persuasive supporting examples. The examples are given in short summarized form, but they hit on the point his arguing directly. He also states the authority from which he derived his examples from, which easily convinces his audiences that he is sincere and truthful in his arguments. Although Wallis’ article is considered short, he builds up the tension and then is still able to back off with a less harsh solution. With the soften solution suggested by Wallis to the strong arguments, Wallis has effectively leave his audience/reader with an open space to thoroughly think through his proposition instead of pressing them against the wall threatening them to take actions. However, I thought Wallis could be more specific on what lesson he wants the college to actually teach their students. For instance, does he want the college to teach the students to dig up all news that they can get their hands on?, or just simply teach them that they should not subjugate to authority too easily?