In the Oct. 22 edition of The Slate, the editorial board endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. This decision was met with backlash from some members of the campus community who did not think it was our place to take such a stance. 

Some argue that as a student group, The Slate is not allowed to engage in political behavior. A PASSHE rule exists that disallows student activity fee funds being spent on partisan political endorsement. 

That rule, however, does not supersede constitutional law. Several courts have held that prohibitions against student media endorsements infringe on those publication’s First Amendment rights. Political endorsements are core political speech, which is protected by the First Amendment. 

The Slate is not alone in endorsement drama. The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times recently made headlines by choosing not to endorse a presidential candidate, breaking tradition.

The motivation behind those papers’ decision not to endorse has also made headlines — the influence of their billionaire owners. Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos blocked that paper’s endorsement, a move that has inspired over 200,000 people to cancel their subscriptions, about 8% of their paid circulation. 

Thankfully, The Slate is an entirely student-run organization. The way it operates is not dictated by any member of faculty or administration. Its editorial voice is made up of the individual students who come together each week to spend countless hours reporting, writing, and laying out pages.

The decision to endorse Harris was not made on a whim. It was decided after multiple weeks of discussion between staff, editors, and management, and with consultation from legal experts and other PASSHE student newspapers. 

Newspaper endorsements have a long tradition, and have become a regular feature of newspapers during election years. Student media is no different. The Rocket and The Quad, the student newspapers at Slippery Rock and West Chester — both PASSHE schools — endorsed Joe Biden in 2020.

This election is important. Granted, we have all heard that during every election cycle, well, ever. But this year is different. 

The Slate’s endorsement does not argue Harris is a perfect candidate, nor that all her policies are agreeable. In fact, we have faced criticism for spending too large a word count on why one should vote against Donald Trump rather than why one should vote for Harris. 

That criticism bears some weight, but it is important to recognize why so much attention was paid to Trump. He presents an existential threat to the future of this country’s democratic institutions. 

As journalists, we have a duty to speak the truth. The truth is Trump is a danger to the country he wants to run, in his own words, as a dictator. The truth is that Trump is unfit to be president, and we have a duty to make that fact known. 

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