Dissent important not just in student media

"Report thoughtcrime!" exhorted a "Students for an Orwellian Society" flyer I recently saw hanging in DM Smith. Evidence of thoughtcrime included "question asking" and "outright dissent."

It took me a few seconds to realize the flyer was sarcastic, which I personally find a little bit unsettling.

Don't get me wrong. I don't think the U.S. is headed for 1984 any time soon, but my time at Tech has made me more concerned about what I see as a low level of respect for "question asking" and "outright dissent."

I saw the dirty looks the lone Iraq War protestor got back in 2003 when he parked himself on Skiles Walkway; I may have given him one of those looks myself.

I see how people react when conservative groups question feminism or liberalism in the classroom.

Asking questions and challenging authority are a basic part of what it means to be an American. They are a basic part of what it means, or should mean, to be a college student. And these are also activities at the core of a free and effective press.

According to the First Amendment Center, almost one in three Americans believe the First Amendment guarantees too many freedoms.

That number is staggering, even though it is declining, down from 49 percent immediately after 9/11.

Recent developments continue to erode respect for the press.

Over the last few months, three of the country's television news anchors, Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather and Ted Koppel, have left their positions; one retired, two were forced out.

This week, a court rejected an appeal from two newspaper reporters who refused to identify their sources during a criminal investigation. If the Supreme Court upholds the ruling, the reporters could go to jail for contempt.

The news is not all bad. With the rise of bloggers as reporters, the tradition of asking tough questions may get a new, unexpected lease on life.

It's also easy to dismiss these events as small and inconsequential.

In and of themselves, they may be, but over time they contribute to a general public feeling that the press, if not unnecessary, is definitely a nuisance. That feeling trickles down to all levels of society and is especially pronounced at Tech.

It's hard to be a journalist here, where students more often roll with the punches or gripe about problems under their breath than take a stand.

We could all afford to embark on a mini-revolution every now and then, but Tech students lack a strong tradition of "patriotic dissent" or of speaking truth to power.

In addition, without a school of journalism, basic concepts like press independence are too often misunderstood.

In the past year, Technique has been called a waste of paper, a left-wing rag, misguided and misinformed. We've been accused of bias, sometimes by opposing sides of the same issue.

All I can say is that we've done our best to find out what's important and to let you know about it. We have tried to reflect the issues with which Tech students are grappling and a diversity of viewpoints.

We've tried to be an independent voice exposing conflict where it exists, all with the hope of making things better in the end.

While we've screwed up on occasion and we haven't gotten it right all the time, we're moving in a positive direction.

And now I'm done. My bolt is shot. My time at the helm is over. I'm a moss-gatherer, at least as far as Technique is concerned.

I've learned not to focus too much on the little things. With time, they will usually sort themselves out.

I've also learned not to take what I'm doing too seriously; do it well, do your best, but realize that no one will remember what happened here a hundred years from now, or even a few years from now.

To next year's editors, I know you will be guilty of "question asking" and (when appropriate) "outright dissent."

To everyone involved with the newspaper this year, who put up with my unreasonable demands, who told me when I was crazy, anal-retentive, a wimp, a jackass, or aloof, and who accomplished amazing things in spite of me, I thank you.