The Daily Illini's Double Standard

Let's go back to 2004 when the Daily Illini running anti-semetic cartoons, falsely saying that Ariel Sharon said he wanted to "burn every Palestinian child", and printing letters about how "Jews Manipulate America."

Somehow these contributions to the editorial page did not merit the the firing of any editors. Only one cartoonist was suspended for a month.

So tell me, what's the newsworthyness of a letter about how "Jews Manipulate America"? People are rioting about the Danish cartoons -- an actual news event -- but that's not newsworthy. Anti-semetic propaganda is newsworthy. I guess if somebody sent a similar anti-Moslim letter, it would be printed in all its glory. Yeah right.

By the way, somehow the Daily Illini thinks it's independent from the university, despite its charter, its relationship with the University's journalism department, and its favored status on campus (no other newspapers are allowed boxes in every building on campus or gets lists of students home addresses from the university.)