I was outraged to read Monday's story, "Demonstrators gather to protest Islam on Sept. 11," not solely due to the protesters' complete intolerance of other religions and incredibly hateful message, but also because of the way the Alligator reported the story.
In this article, which somehow merited an entire half-page, never once does it cite the reaction of the Islamic community to this demonstration of hate, nor does it include a single quote from a Muslim person, a mosque official or any other person besides the ignorant protesters themselves. The article never mentions how many Muslims lost their lives on Sept. 11 nor how many Muslims were the victims of hate crimes following Sept. 11 due to the actions of ignorant and intolerant followers of the "Islam is of the Devil" credo.
As a newspaper, it is not only your responsibility to decide which stories you publish and how much importance to give them, it is also your responsibility to fairly and objectively represent the main issues of the stories as well. This story served only to disseminate more ignorant, intolerant and hateful messages from a group that spews racism and prejudice and hides behind their right to free speech.
