Charity for the Super-Rich

Mesa voters should deep-six the city's plan to funnel $84 million to greedy corporations

A A A Comments By John Dougherty Thursday, Apr 21 2005

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Payne Award judges were impressed with how the State Press handled Crow's assault on the First Amendment.

"Faced with the administration's reaction, the paper's staff used an impressive process to examine its actions, make decisions, work with the administration and explain its decisions to others," according to a statement released by the University of Oregon.

courtesy of the State Press Magazine

The photo that got the ASU State Press in the right kind of trouble. See second item.

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Cameron Eickmeyer, the State Press editor in chief, was at the center of the firestorm last fall and will go to Eugene on May 12 to accept the award on behalf of the paper.

Eickmeyer says he doesn't consider the award a "vindication" of the State Press but rather an "affirmation" of the process the paper uses to determine what to publish.

"This sends the message that the process we use to make these decisions works and is being recognized by larger institutions and other journalists," Eickmeyer says.

Crow has backed off his threat to kick the paper off campus and slash funding. In fact, Crow's liaison to the State Press, Juan Gonzalez, sent Eickmeyer a congratulatory letter.

"I truly hope that the State Press will continue to operate in this manner and continue to work in partnership with the university," Gonzalez wrote.

Talk about eating crow. It was Gonzalez, acting as Crow's water boy, who delivered the threat to pull funding, etc.

Now, if a similar move by moralistic House Appropriations Committee co-chairman Russell Pearce to cut state funds from the State Press and other Arizona campus publications can just be slapped down this legislative session!