I would just like to take a moment to address the “FireBz.com” advertisement that ran in this week’s Old Gold & Black.

A fan paid money to have this advertisement in the Old Gold & Black and since then, it has caught national attention in USA Today, The New York Times, the Winston-Salem Journal, Yahoo! Sports, etc. As a newspaper, we are the voice of the community. There is a strong sentiment among students, fans and alumni that change is necessary in the athletic department.

Despite my personal views, my role as editor of the school’s newspaper is not to silence voices I disagree with, but to publish all opinions (as long as they are not obscene). It was an editorial decision to run this advertisement—but what other choice did we have? To choose which advertisements will run in our newspaper sets a dangerous precedent.

We pride ourselves on being an objective, fair and accurate source of news. If we did not run an advertisement just because we did not agree with its message, we would lose credibility as a newspaper. The advertisement does not express the opinions of the editorial staff, or of the student body. It is simply a personal opinion, which someone paid to display in the Old Gold & Black. If you have an opinion on this matter, please submit a letter to the editor by email.

Thank you,

Hilary Burns

Editor-in-chief, Burnhs0@wfu.edu