As journalism students, we are nurtured in an ideal world. In this world, the press is the epitome of good, the watchdog of politicians and businessmen, the safeguard of the public interest. Within our trade, we have the power to change minds, influence decisions, create wars, celebrate heroes, attack evil and maintain the truth.
Like a children's storybook, the lines between good and evil are clear, and like its innocent readers, we side immediately with the good. We, the fledgling journalists, are the superheros of the world, righting the wrongs without missing a deadline -- and most importantly, never succumbing to the temptation to use our journalistic powers for evil or destruction.
All this we have learned in class -- which is why UNBOUND exists -- to help us keep one foot in the world of reality while giving us practical experience in our tiny idealist world. As a student-run magazine, we can operate with little regard to the true perils that our real-world counterparts face. Our mistakes are excusable; our corrections are not costly. We are given room to grow, explore and learn, in the hopes that we become better journalists because of it.
Despite such an optimistic premise, the truth is that censorship is a strong presence in any newsroom, and the absolutes, like the First Amendment, are far from absolute. For these reasons, the founders of UNBOUND set forth the mission of becoming "an organization aimed at meeting the needs of young adults by offering an unbiased forum in which to express ideas, opinions and voices." Each issue, we strive to create a magazine free of censorship, free of limitations, a place where we are not restricted to material considered "safe" or noncontroversial.
This semester we sought to continue the tradition established by UNBOUND's creators of exploring this diverse world in which we live. In this issue, you can find stories ranging from travel advice to homosexuality, from oxygen therapy to fashion. And beyond this wide range, you can find, within issues past and present, articles on abstinence and polyamory, and other seemingly contradictory views.
We learn from public discussion that such different issues rarely co-exist in harmony, and yet, in UNBOUND, the content and authors of such topics are presented to open-minded individuals to be weighed according to their respective merits. Through this, we seek to become a source to which you, our readers, will return for information, advice, new ideas, humor, and differing opinions.
However, just as we are entitled to print stories we deem appropriate, you are entitled to dislike our decisions -- and further, to express your thoughts. We welcome your praises and revel in your compliments. And although it is never easy to take your criticisms, this too is a part of the real world we face. Sidney Hook, an American educator and philosopher once wrote, "To silence criticism is to silence freedom." Historically, these are words easily forgotten. In our crusade to protect the rights of the press, we often infringe upon those same rights in silencing or ignoring our readers.
And so, in the spirit of fair press, we encourage you to respond to the articles in this issue as they strike you. Tell us what you like and hate, what you'd like to see in the future and what's been overdone. Let us know how we're doing -- that we may continue to challenge the ideals of this less-than-perfect world. In each issue, we encourage our readers to look at the world through a new perspective -- and you should expect the same of us.