To whom this may concern,
After reading the last edition of the Stevenson Statesman, I came across a phrase that troubled me and would like to bring this to the attention of the editor of the paper. When writing this letter, I want to point out that I respect everyone’s freedom of speech and opinions. Additionally, I believe the article is written well overall and should not just be looked at negatively through the lens of this one comment. However, I found that one indirect quote was unnecessary, historically inaccurate, and inflammatory to a very complex situation. The phrase I am referring to can be found in the article “Out Of the Spotlight,” and read, “In Mazzuca’s opinion, society’s desensitization to persisting news—such as the Russo-Ukrainian War, school shootings, and the Israeli occupation of Palestine—can stem from a lack of action or regard from the public.” The Statesman reporters paraphrased APUSH teacher Mr. Mazzuca.
When looking at the article as a whole, and not just observing this one highlighted comment, the authors explain how certain stories cycle in and out of the news. Mr. Mazzuca was using the examples of, “…the Russo-Ukrainian War, school shootings, and the Israeli occupation of Palestine-” to emphasize his point of public desensitization to news stories. However, out of the three topics Mr. Mazzuca stated in his comment, only the Russo-Ukrainian war and school shootings were thoroughly explained at other points in the article. The comment “…and the Israeli occupation of Palestine-” is never brought up again after being briefly mentioned in this comment. While I understand that the examples were used to provide readers context, I feel that the term “…and the Israeli occupation of Palestine-” was irrelevant in conveying his message as a whole. Therefore, the Stateman’s inclusion of this statement was unnecessary because it adds no value to the article as a whole.
As many people know, the conflict between Israel and surrounding countries is extremely complicated and confusing to those who have not thoroughly researched the topic. Even if someone were to take time for extensive research, the conflict is still incredibly complex. There are many stances on the State of Israel, and people have the right to their viewpoint. However, when the statement “…and the Israeli occupation of Palestine-” was printed by the Statesman without any further explanation, the language clearly portrayed a one-sided stance on the situation. After speaking with Mr. Mazzuca in the first week of October, it became more apparent that his intent was not antagonistic, however it is the specific order of the words can rub people the wrong way.
To clarify, Mr. Mazzuca made this seemingly unrelated comment in the last edition (September 2023) of the Statesman, which was released before the recent escalations in Israel that began on October 7th. In light of everything going on right now, I think it is paramount that we are more sensitive with the language we use when describing the situation in Israel. If we are unfamiliar with what is happening, I believe we should take it on ourselves to stay informed by reaching out and educating ourselves. By understanding and listening to multiple perspectives, we can get a full view of the situation and formulate our own opinions without jumping to conclusions.
Signed,
Anonymous student
