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Viewpoint ? 2 Wednesday, June 10, 1987 \ GAMECOCK mm nm, * Wl Rape /^i j hi ir? c fa/^11 //7 r/i A LI LS < I Jftl/MIU J/H/ VV V J I compassion, not curiosity Has the crime of rape become so trite now that there must be some other aspect to it to make it a serious offense? It appears so. At least, that's what has happened in the case of a drifter from Miami, Terry Lee Phillips, and his arrest in the reported rape of a Columbia V> V M 1 I (11 I . Phillips has AIDS. To add to the humiliation of the rape itself, the victim now has to worry about the possibility of contracting this fatal disease. Lawmakers sec this as a landmark case. While this case is unusual ? probably the first of its kind ? it is still an act of rane. Wc cannot let our paranoia about AIDS or our shameful curiosity of tragedy cause us to overlook this. The case is beginning to turn into a media circus. Does the man accused of the rape deserve such attention? Does the victim? No. The media must curb its desire for disaster and despair, leave the woman alone to attempt a .1 1 a\ * - -1 A _ - > . - - - lecuveiy aim leave mc couris aione 10 attempt 10 serve justice. First and foremost, the woman is a rape victim. If she is diagnosed as carrying the AIDS disease, it should be a second case. Let's try to keep them separate and have some compassion for the woman as she faces a possible /(.A.iUIn f I 1 ? . , ? U * ? V.IVHIUIC UcMlIlUl, UUI1VI mail g,Cl UUJ pcUlll> J>VVCcUy tlUUUl ct new case to put in the law books. T asteless Station should respect victim There is an unwritten, eardinal rule of journalism: never publish the name of a rape vietim, unless that victim dies. In most states, this rule is also a law. Columbia's ABC affiliate, WOLO-TV, broke this rule ? and perhaps the law ? last week. A Columbia woman has accused a 27-year-old Florida i i-v * - f - ? ? i umici ui i aping iici. L/uring coverage or me armer s | trial this past Wednesday, a WOLO reporter broadcast i the name of the woman making the accusation. Not only was the mistake not caught then, but it was repeated on Thursday morning broadcasts, as her name was again mentioned by another reporter. Whether WOLO's news staff broke any of South C arolina's laws is uncertain. Whether they violated journalistic ethics and standards is clear. They did. A rape victim is subject to two emotional tortures: the despicable act itself and the harrowing trial that follows ? 11 a suspect is caught. The victim should not face a third assault by having her name broadcast to the community. WOLO clearly forgot this with their callous and irresponsible act. W Hoi to gap JlT i? , rj|L 6ROUP cA;5 MOTH.NO If s rr-"f IP ' W VlktNO W>TH RAOSM JM __ E K?Nc?A^c^i^ FACTOR ^ BoTH or THE A&OVE. ? Write us a letter let us know what's on your mind. Letters must Names will not be in- iyprci,uoume spaceu anu no longer man <()() will not he accepted. I words. Guest editorials must be no longer than 5(X) or editorials per month words. We reserve the right Include the following information for verifica- for legal ramifications, tion: name, address and home and work telephone reserve the right to numbers. Indicate whether you are a USC student, editorials on outdated staff member or community member in letters and Write to: Viewpoin editorials. If you arc a student, include your school Drawer A, Russell H year and major. Carolina, Columbia, S V Welcome to tt "The policy of our paper is very simple ? I" merely lo tell the truth. * * Those simple 13 words were the creed of the late Nelson Poynter, founder of the Si. Petersburg Times newspaper. It is that sentence tnat siuck in my mind as I grew up in Florida, reading the Times every day. It is that sentence that became a belief for me and, hopefully,every other journalist in the world ! to live by. And it is that sentence and belief | that 1 bring with me to The Gamecock as editor in chief lor the summer. We are going to tell the truth this summer, I whenever and wherever it 111:1 v he fmmH Anrl that won't be easy, because journalism is a li double-edged sword. Nine times out of 10, I either the truth isn't easy, or getting to the r truth isn't easy. ii Some people would probably prefer we ig- t nore all the financial controversies that have c erupted at USC' during the past 12 months t and concentrate on the "happy news," such a as duck retrievals and scholarship winners. Some people would probably prefer that we v not exist at all. And I'm sure some people t would probably prefer a more complacent, I impressionable person as the runvsnnnrr's 1 editor instead of a cynical, temperamental r rebel. a Sorry, some people. We'll all have to live S with each other. c The Gamecock is not out on a headhunt, s and it won't resort to sensationalism. We c ilUlMivifl... TA ? ^ n wmAi *?li Hollywood set Not much can get Woody Allen to venture into public, but the creator of films such as Manhattan and Hannah and Her Sisters showed up at a recent U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing. For once, a congressional subcommittee had a purpose: to examine the colorization of black and white films, a practice Allen accurately labeled as "sinful." The colorization controversy erupted this past Christmas season, when Ted Turner's "Superstation," WTBS-TV, showed a colorized version of It's a Wonderful Life. Many in the film community, including Allen and > that movie's star, James Stewart, didn't think this was so wonderful and lashed out at Turner. i Opponents of colorization say it's like painting a moustache on the Mono Lisa, and the > analogy is not as far-fetched as it seems. Film making is an art; it demands skill and talent. Granted, Police Academy IV might not be a piece of art, but a velvet portrait of F.lvis isn't either. Like literature, paintings and sculpture, the majority of movies is crap, but every so often, a great director such as Allen creates a film that can really be called an artwork. And does someone else have the right to alter that work, just because the person buys it? No, but this is Turner's main line of defense. He says his ownership of the these movies gives him the right to do anything he wants with them, regardless of the intent of I \The G withheld, and pseudonyms uA1.A n i* r* jfi t - * licit ia <1 mini ui iwu ICUC!'* I itiiior in i.mei , by the same writer Patrick Jean to edit letters and editorials , taste and clarity. We also News Kdltor i?.. i A A n ""C ginning icucn ctnu iviiify i tru/suri to^!c.s , Viewpoint Kditor t Editor, I he Gamecock, ^ ouse, University of South Kathcrinc Gllberi C. 29208. J ie summer G< I laven't sought to destroy the career of USC 'resident James Holderman ? merely to cport on the events and controversies involvng him. We haven't jumped on the media tandwagon surrounding USC graduate and vernight celebrity Donna Rice. When the ime comes for some f;iir nnrl honest rpnnrtino bout her (if it ever docs), we'll be there. Despite our good-natured personability, ve'll never please all of the oeonle all of the ime. That's one of the first cruel lessons I earned about this line of work. Some folks iate all journalists, whether we deserve it or lot. Some fraternity or sorority member will ilways say that we have an anti-greek bias, iome minority student will always say that we over the WASP news. Some politically active tudent will always complain that we're too onservativc or too liberal. Still another will sag J|gg I i?- 1 SPr-nil r.' NIK einjj red over Andy Bechtel ifffP:) (he film makers. Turner also says today's television audiences don't like black and white. Roger Mayer, president of Turner Entertainment ^ /-v nloirtt r 11 /\ t \ r\ r* nr*r? rvor v-w., cianin auuivu^v,^ tan i ut pti suadcd, cajoled or bullied" into watching black and white programming. Yet, black and white reruns of The Andy Griffith Show continue to garner good ratings, as do other classic TV shows shot in black and white. Beyond that, some of the most popular music videos are in black and white. The Psychedelic Furs and Billy Idol shot their latest videos in black and white. Heck, even Bon Jovi and Ratt are getting into the act. If young viewers, the primary audience for these videos, hate black and white, why are so many videos filmed that way? amecock features senior (Graphics Andy Bechtel Robb La Sports Editor Comics 1 Richard Breen Tracy M Photography Editor Adviser ' Nick Leoncavallo Bill Rogi 4 amecock always read a few pages, throw it down on the ground and call it a piece of trash. A little research of The Gamecock disproves all of those opinions. We've never gone out of our way to be hated. Our staff, both the hierarchy and the reporters, are com- ^ posed of greeks and non-greeks, whites and M minorities, liberals and conservatives, all of whom work well together. Some of us may carry extreme feelings or opinions, but we put them aside to fairly report and critique. And we do our best. We're as human as anyone else, and we make mistakes. Who doesn't? We'll never be able to cover every single person and event at the University of South Carolina. We simply don't have the manpower or the money ? especially this summer. But in the meantime, we're going to do the best we can with what we've got. If you love us or hate us, don't cheer or bitch about us to your classmates and roommates ? let us M know. The door to our office in Russell House Room 321 is always open to you. Drop off a letter, chew us out, or, if you want to help out or think you can do better, pick up a staff application and story assignment. The policy of our paper is very simple ? to report the news that concerns the USC community as fairly and accurately as possible and to openly welcome comments, criticisms and assistance. What other newspaper is willing to say that? Well, gotta go. There's some truth out there to find ? and tell. colorization At the subcommittee hearing, Allen suggested educating young people to appreciate black and white, but obviously, they already do, considering the amount of videos made in black and white now on heavy rotation on ^ MTV. Still, Allen's idea is a good one. Colorizing companies defend themselves on another front: they say they clean up the prints before they colorize them, restoring the film to its original state. But what's the point ol cleaning up a turn it it s going to be altered? Restoring old movies to their original condition is great; colorizing them is not. Mistakes are already beginning to plague the colorized movies. The most glaring example came with Frank Sinatra's film Suddenly: the colorizers gave "Old Blue Eyes" brown eyes. In The Maltese Falcon, Humphrey Bogart's suit ended up the wrong color. m Above all, the color has a strange tint to it that makes the films look terrible, robbing them of any cinematography they may have had. Thanks to testimony from Allen and others, Congress may pass legislation to stop colorization. If ever a law were needed concerning art, it is one to halt this mindless lanipci nig wun wic movies, one ui /\mcrica s most cherished art forms. Maybe the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences could give Allen a special Oscar for his efforts to stop colorization ? but he probably wouldn't show up. . ( Editor Director of Student Media ne Bill Clements ^ Pr/kHBinlinn -iuiiui a iuuuviouii ; ixson Chuck Norris Son Ha ?rs Advertising Manager Margaret Michels M ~ 1 i