Blogging and freedom of expression

In the news reports recently is the case of four students of the Quezon City High School who were suspended due to a blog wherein they published articles criticizing their principal.

In an interview with an officer of the QC Division of Schools Office, she stated that students must learn that with freedom comes responsibility, so the suspension must stand.

In another interview with a DepEd undersecretary, he stated that freedom of expression must be observed and that public officials must not have onion skin. Further, he urged the parents of the suspended students to appeal the order of suspension.

Both values espoused by the two DepEd officials, taken independently, are logical and valid. However, in this situation, I think freedom of expression should reign supreme. Providing a penalty precisely for a criticism is enough to perpetuate a chilling effect and thwart other forms of resistance. For young minds as these students, a single experience like this is not only traumatic, it also serves as a sick reminder that minding one's own business in the face of wrongdoing is a good thing and that doing otherwise will only compromise their peaceful existence. Not good for a nation that desperately needs for its people to care.