On Monday Oct. 23, Bonita Vista High’s (BVH) student-run publication, the Crusader, published an editorial cartoon on the publication’s online website; the graphic depicted a students’ view on the Israel-Palestine conflict. On Friday, November 3, the cartoon was distributed in the newspaper print Issue 2, which garnered much attention from the Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD)—specifically the BVH community.
An editorial cartoon is a graphic that expresses the artist’s opinion on a social or political issue, not the expressed opinion of the publication, the advisor or school administration, meaning the cartoons are aspects of commentary whose purpose is to question or make an argument based on current affairs on a local, national or international scale.
The staff member responsible for the cartoon on the Issue 2 newspaper print wanted to express their deep concerns over the death of innocent civilians, and further question the current situation of the Israel-Hamas war. The artist intended the argument to evoke emotions and discourse amongst the BVH community, but the Crusader, as a whole, has become aware of how the BVH Jewish community perceive this to be anti-Semitic. With the editorial cartoonist expressing their belief—whether or not this viewpoint aligns with the staff member’s and the newspaper advisor’s beliefs—the Editorial Board believes it contributes to the conversation and opens up more opportunities for discussion.
Above all, the Editorial Board manages the publication with the understanding of the CA EDC 48907, which protects “the freedom of speech and of press” for California’s public school journalists. The cartoon contained no unlawful speech and district lawyers have conceded the cartoon was “protected student speech. “This means, school administrators—including the newspaper’s faculty advisor—cannot censor student media, which allowed us to proceed with featuring the cartoon in our paper. Nonetheless, the artist’s overall intentions did not come from an anti-Semitic mind and was not deliberately attacking a certain community.
The Editorial Board denies all efforts to characterize the actions of our editorial cartoonist, and the editorial process that went into selecting the cartoon to be featured in our November Issue to be anti-Semitic; instead, we believe it to be protected speech. However, we are deeply concerned with the unintentional harm this may have caused anyone in our BVH community and beyond.
As a student-run publication, the Crusader strives to offer a safe platform for its staff members and its community to voice their opinions on different issues. Doing so, the Crusader Manual finds significance in minimizing harm, showing “respect and compassion for students who may be affected detrimentally by [published content]”. Despite the emotions the editorial cartoon has stirred, the Crusader believes all content published is only one side of a conversation, which is especially true of our opinion section. The other side of the conversation is our readers. As stated in page four of our Opinion section, “The Crusader encourages community dialogue on public matters.”
The Editorial Board is deeply concerned with the unintended harm the editorial cartoon may have caused. Especially, as we become aware of an increase of anti-Semitic acts, the Crusader wants to work towards creating a safe environment for those who are most vulnerable in our community. Our first step is to meet with the Israel Club and hear their personal experiences, insights and hopes regarding the Israel-Hamas war, and its impact on them. Additionally, we intend on producing a podcast on the complexities and viewpoints of the war, featuring informed experts, in an effort to better understand the ongoing conflict. Finally, we invite our readers to write “Letters to the Editor”, voicing any concerns, personal experiences and reactions to our coverage on the Israel-Hamas war.
