I said 'dildos'... are you offended now?

I printed an article in today's newspaper about well-known and (apparently) well-endowed porn star Ron Jeremy, also known as “the hedgehog”.

Read the article - exact same article and photo - here on CTV's website

I paid for it this morning with aggravated (and aggravating) phone calls from several angry readers wondering why I would put such "sex and filth" in the newspaper. They prodded me for tainting the minds of the youth who may be reading the paper. Then they threatened to cancel their subscriptions – all over one article with references to dildos and fellatio.

When they asked why I would put such garbage in the newspaper I answered that it was an excellent story about a person you wouldn't normally hear about. I also said I print Christian articles twice on Monday and in sporadic columns throughout the week. I defended it's an editor's job to give readers insight into areas of life they may never encounter and give people of all stripes something that would interest them. I asked them why they don't call to praise the editor when they like something, yet call to berate the editor when a published article offends their values. And most importantly, I asked why they'd cancel their subscription over one article that appeared in one edition when hundreds of other papers they’ve received over the course of two years did not offend them.

To my impassioned argument, one caller answered: “Yeah. Well, I think you owe your readers an apology because they don’t want to read this.”

I admit the article was racy. I admit it may offend. I admit many of my readers are older and conservative and would not enjoy reading about a porn star. But I will not apologize. Perhaps I’m being idealistic here, or maybe just plain self-righteous; but it’s an editor’s job to push the boundaries at times – sometimes just for the sake of getting a reaction. Mostly they should venture into territory unknown to draw a line in the sand, saying, “We will print things that offend some readers because freedom of the press is founded on printing viewpoints that some readers may find downright dastardly… or immoral.” It’s a freedom that must be exercised because it’s easily lost in the show of reader intimidation. A few cancelled subscriptions is a small price to pay to show people we are not intimidated by angry phone calls.

Oh, and next time you’re upset with an article, write a letter to the editor. We like that.