Tuesday’s firing line from Ally Motts titled “Simply embarrassing” is a striking highlight of how so many residents of the Forty Acres lack a proper understanding of what a newspaper is and what it is not. Journalists, even at the collegiate level, are tasked with reporting the news. That obligation is not restricted to feel-good fluff stories that give the reader a sense of collegiate cheer. The story regarding jersey sales was a piece of news that related to one of the most prominent figures on the UT campus. Missing from the article were tough questions such as why the University and Nike are profiting off merchandise that is obviously linked to a specific student athlete, who consequentially won’t see a dime of those profits.

The Texan has a history of reporting on controversial or thought-provoking issues, even in the face of censorship by the administration. Don’t ever let someone tell you that you can’t run a story because they find it “distasteful.” There are far more “distasteful” issues in this country, and more often than not, those are exactly the issues that belong on the front pages of our newspapers. Now if only we could get alumni such as Ms. Motts to read a newspaper…

— Tom Moreland
UT alumnus