Brown U Student Paper Apologizes for 2 Columns

The Brown Daily Herald, the student newspaper at Brown University, has apologized for publishing two opinion columns this week that angered many minority students. One of the pieces remains online with a note of apology. The other, which editors decided not to publish online after the print version of the newspaper was already being printed with the column, appeared in print only and not online. The editors said that they should not have published either column, one of which they said was based on the idea of biological differences among the races and the other of which suggested that Native Americans should be thankful for the colonial arrival in America.

"Newspapers have a sacred responsibility to promote the free exchange of ideas, but that responsibility is designed to protect both those with controversial opinions and those whose voices are frequently excluded," the apology from the newspaper said. "The Herald’s opinions section has too infrequently been a platform for the latter."