WaPo editorial board: Efforts to silence and cancel Mike Pence campus visits are 'unwarranted'
'It’s another thing to deny him a forum,' the authors wrote
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Washington Post editorial board wrote Wednesday that bipartisan efforts to cancel or silence former Vice President Mike Pence were "unwarranted."
The authors referenced a recent piece by a student newspaper at the University of Virginia that argued Pence should not be allowed to speak at the university as he is scheduled to in April. The piece, by The Cavalier Daily editorial board, argued that Pence would threaten student safety.
Former Vice President Mike Pence arrives on the stage before speaking at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit, Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It’s a constitutionally protected act to protest a politician whose views or record offend. It’s another thing to deny him a forum. Unfortunately, that is what some students are advocating ahead of a scheduled appearance by Mr. Pence on April 12 at the University of Virginia — a stance that is not only wrongheaded but also, in the case of a public university, probably illegal," the Washington Post's op-ed said.
The Washington Post authors contended that exceptions to spirited debate and the welcomed variety of viewpoints on college campuses should be "few and far between."
"A university that dishonors those principles isn’t fully a university; it’s a tribal talking shop of the like-minded, in service to censorship," they continued.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}New Haven, USA - May 4, 2015: Yale University campus on April 4, 2015. It is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1701
"In fact, Mr. Pence has spoken at scores of universities, to the detriment of no one’s safety," the editors added.
The Washington Post editorial board also acknowledged the paper's own critical reporting on the former vice president. "We happen to agree" that Pence "has been deeply wrong on many issues," they wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Denying the former vice president a platform, the authors argued, "is to sanctify intolerance of a different stripe, equally toxic, and dress it up as existential concern. Mr. Pence should be heard."
Former Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen Pence wave as they take the stage to speak to troops at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019. The visit is Pence’s first to Iraq and comes nearly one year since President Donald Trump’s surprise visit to the country. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Pence is scheduled to appear at the University of Virginia on April 12 as part of a lecture series sponsored by Young America's Foundation.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Of note, The Cavalier Daily also ran an op-ed in support of Pence speaking at the university. Student Sarita Mehta wrote that by "shunning" those with different beliefs, people "do not preserve the engagement over differences that is essential to a democratic society."