The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 20, 1992, Page 3, Image 3
Viewpoint
The media
Professionalism lacking
in today s slanted media
The public malaise for irresponsible journalism in this countr
is growing. From all sides the media is blitzed with complaint
and disdain.
Over the years the malaise has given birth to stereotypes: Th
media are negative, self serving, unfair and so on.
Sadly, the stereotypes are often well-deserved, brought about b
the media's behavior.
! The only way to break down the public's generalized attitude
is to practice responsible, professional journalism. Personal chai
acter attacks, tacky use of air time for insignificant, irrelevant edi
torial comments and uncaring attitudes concerning the impact c
negative publicity must cease.
The jaded, arrogant journalist is the future unemployed
journalist.
It's no secret that the media can not continuously please ever)
one. But that is every good journalist's goal.
News people need a greater awareness of the groupthink mer
tality they often develop after years in the business.
. The quest for exposing corruption, the jadedness from peopl
trying to use and manipulate the media and the knowledge ac
quired from years of reporting build walls around journalists tht
frequently close in around them. Trapped inside, they are out c
touch with their audience.
Their arrogance and unrealistic views build as they attempt t
deal with complaints and set society straight. It becomes a viciou
circle, driven by journalists' out-of-touch mentality.
The solution is based on a simple concept, known as balanc<
Journalists must be cognizant of the fact that their knowledge an
power is great but must be accompanied by sensitivity and oper
mindedness. Otherwise, the public malaise will continue to gro1
and jeopardize the credibility and future of the American media.
f\WHAT 0\D <you I LOOKS UKE
ySTEP OK? J 1U? Middle CLASS.
x?' '
If you have an Issue or question
you would like to see addressed in Cross Fire
or USC Voices, Please drop it in a Suggestion Box
or Call The Gamecock Newsroom at 777-7726.
Discrimination
being ignored
are historically while ar
To the editor: "Whiles Only" signs is i
If only 95 percent of USC's campus sive' USC would und<
had to be racially integrated, there tl0n 10 ""e8rale 5 Per
would be outrage. Imagine barriers t-amPus.
slating "Whites Only" and effectively
keeping out all non-whites from 5 per- Actually, as pointed oui
cent of the buildings here. Gamecock on Wednesdz
01 course that wouldn t mean that USC docs have such a
non-whites couion i attend all classes rather than discriminating
or participate in enough campus prog- whites, USC discriminates
rams to satisfy federal regulations, only ablcd persons, lnaccessifc
that certain residence halls and shout "Able-bodied Per;
academic buildings would be accessible while university officials s<
strictly to whites. have bothered obeying lh<
rule at all, as if USC is a
If a non-white wanted to participate disabled faculty and
in activities normally taking place in a lavor.
"Whites Only" building, that person
could request the activity be moved to jjscs policies pe
an integrated area. But, even in intc- crimination, an insult to
grated buildings, certain entrances and lhc universljy.
passageways could still be reserved for
whites.
Naturally, the university would have
the option of integrating the entire
campus, but since many older buildings International studi
Question: Shoul
Charles Traywick Ros;
History major Engi
"Definitely, for safety reasons "Yes
and because it promotes a l?ss
better workforce." allov
y the
man
out 1
e ?i
r*cros
if
n Choices, rights
I am not pro-abortion.
I don't think anyone is pro-abortion.
^ It's sad that we live in a society si
closed to discussing its own sexuality the
abortion is a major issue. Perhaps, if w
e could talk about responsible sexual beha
vior without fear that natural functions wi]
corrupt our children, those childre
wouldn't ever be standing terrified at th
doors of a local clinic. But it is an issue
and, unfortunately, it must be addressed.
This column is not meant to tell yo
o what to think. It's only asking you to en
S sure that you can always think for yoursell
I'm writing this because I believe tha
neither the male-dominated bodies of th
; Supreme Court nor the members of the Se
(j nate can be granted the power of telling
j_ woman what she can do with her bod)
Pro-choice laws do not mean anyone mu<
have an abortion. They leave you able t
make decisions for yourself. Pro-life law
do not.
The state cannot tell you what to think
""1 the state cannot tell you who to love, an
the state cannot tell you which God to wot
ship. No governing body reserves the rigl
to make your moral judgements for yot
That is why you have your own mind, an
your beliefs are the only thing in life yo
can truly call your own.
Abortion robs
The right to choose an abortion is tf
most frightening freedom our country giv<
its citizens.
When any society begins to fight for tf
right to kill its future, it is time to r<
^ evaluate that society's level of intellect an
(// its conscience.
5^ The Supreme Court told women in 197
^ they had the legal right to choose abortioi
^ Since this landmark decision, pro-life an
^ pro-choice groups have debated the right I
^ be born across the mass media. Their em<
^ tional outbursts and rioting create st<
^ rcolypes and confusion that cloud th
problem.
The problem is that fetuses, Latin fc
"little ones," arc being extracted from the
L mothers before they've had a chance to u
life.
lJ The right to choose indicates the pr<
sence of responsible and intelligent qualitk
in the chooser. A woman who chooses I
kill the life inside her chooses to cheape
the value of life in general. This decision
sad and horrifying for the future.
Ill is terrible when a 14-year-old, unwe*
impoverished girl becomes pregnant. It
unfortunate that men and women aon t r<
ceive enough education about birth contrc
It is unfortunate that a great percentage <
our country's population lives on welfare.
^Tpe?g "PC" languai
;r no obhga- . 4 #
cent of the gives identity
To the editor:
L by the The The idea of political correc
ty, Jan. 15, a hot item lately. When I first h<
policy. But term, an image of a little, grej
against non- dady fussing over whether she
against dis- put her finger in the air when si
ile buildings cup of lea, came to mind. But
sons Only," look at the exact issues that are
eem nrond to 1 can see thai we are not iust
e 95 percent about how to behave. This is nc
Iready doing superficial issue here.
I students a
People arc saying, "Hey, lool
I'm a human being with a pasi
rpctuale dis- lurc an(* 'cc'in&s about them,
everyone at y?u" Antl PcoPlc arc lc
stand that. And when they dc
stand, they think differentl;
something, and their language
lifer Holder ,JS rcsil|| jusl naturally.
healthy. That's being cducatet
ies freshman mg something about life. An
d mandatory drug te<
I - j
I ft***
? Mfl* |M t
V':. l^^Wj
gK &
alind Rice
ineering major
>, because with the jobrates
being so high why
v people using drugs on
job when they have so
iy people needing jobs
there."
s Firi
cannot be lin
No stale has^ the right to
you can do with your body.
A i .. _ ...... i? ? -
a miu as 11 sianus ngni nt
it your body that is the issue hi
e fetus from the female body,
i- live alone. The day that scien
11 that a fetus is truly alive, tha
n of a woman's body until it is
e be one of the first to step ai
j, way for a new' law on the boc
When we let the state ste
u making choices about our val
i- will be watching the foundati<
f. our way of life is based cn
it our feet. And we may be unal
e of the pit into which we woul
If the state can make ab(
a then it is only a step or two a
ing us how many children wi
;t making abortions mandatory
o tion figures rise too high. Ii
s China, it can happen here.
The rules and regulations
government are important to
d way of life. However, they ha
my home trying to legislate
it certainly not in my womb,
i. - Shelley Magee
Shelley Magee is Viewpc
The Gamecock.
rights from ft
ie These problems ? the ecc
is lion, sexual promiscuity ?
debate. The hour a women i
ie pregnant is not the time to lot
lems that led to it, but to loc
id make the best of it.
Pregnancy is unwanted in
3 1977, it cost $350 to have ai
a. about $35,000 to raise a c
id reaches age 18. For the unwei
to woman, pregnancy is not onl
> but also unaffordable.
i- Mother Theresa said, "T
ie poor is the society that ki
children."
3r She's right. The woman u
ir have her child aborted inst
y birth robs her offspring of the
pcricnce this world,
i- There is no excuse for at
is right to choose who should
to should die.
;n The right to life of an unl
is the right to life of an 80-yeai
not a topic for debate,
d, As long as abortion is legs
is to live is something debt
i- America, the land of the free,
''* - Kathy Heberger
Kathy Heberger is the cop>
The Gamecock.
what we're here for.
The character Coc
posed to represent two
students, one Cocky a
?e African-American cu
ever came up with th
J meant well in trying to
one. But the point is ll
plies that there arc tw
pics here, and the key\
tnefs 1S I say we arc not diffc
a/* 1 ^ human beings. The f;
' ,air,, distinguish group cha
Sh0uld nn. rhan,*, hrl .1
le has a .
, . cally more alike than vi
when I J
raised- CI I ,?
talking So' lonS ||VC lh,s
)t just a niore lhe better. There
lems with it of course.
Bui we're much belle
c at me! heard from everyone t
t, a cul- in a society in which
just like right to speak and b<
) under- who we really arc, an
> under- who don't know us (hi
y about
changes
That's
1, lcamd
that's Journalism j
sting be required in the workplace?
9 I
^pPp f i ^
wmmmtBtKm 5
Marvin McManus Karla Fulmer
Finance major Biology/Pre-med major
"It's not professional to have "| think it should depend on
people in the workforce who the job, it's especially imporare
drunk or high and tant for people like doctors,
unsafe." machine operators, politicians,
athletes and things like
that."
Tfifr Day to reflect
gp% upon equality
- John Palms
# Today's observance of Dr. Martin Luther King
lltcd ^r 's birthday ?ffers us an opportunity to reflect
upon his ability to transcend racial and cultural divi?
, sion in the name of community, equality and nonlell
you what vio|en. social change.
. . For my generation, memories of Martin Luther
>w, it is only King jr's devoted struggle often evoke images of
. re. Remove a ^js vjsjon an(j selflessness during civic strife. We
ana it cannot witnessed his fearless efforts to recast our nation's
tists can prove commitment to human dignity.
t it is not part Decades later, his courage and the lessons of that
birthed I will era remind us Qf our ^ | ? ,
>ide and make dependence as human beings
; and our obligation to honor
p in and start rjghts of all people. The
ues for us, we relevance of such values was mS* JN
3n upon which made clear when Nobel i m"
imble beneath Peace Prize recipient Ar- WL
Me to claw out chbishoD Desmond Tutu of
d South Africa shared his mes>rtions
illegal, sage of decency and freedom ?
way from tell- wjt^ our December graduates.
e can have, or Similar ideals were related to our announcement
when popula- jasl Friday that we had established a partnership bet
happened in tvveen the Penn Center near Beaufort and our Columbia
and Beaufort campuses. The center is a vital
? edera part ^ state?s history. The University will help
1 Prese e our preserve its rich African-American heritage and that
ve no place in Qj- Qur other sea island cultures. Such an initiative
morality, and symbolizes what we might accomplish in sharing in
the diverse character of our nation.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. taught that we must
>int Editor for not onty guard freedom but guard against racism and
cultural fracture. Particularly at this time of international
political upheaval and fiscal crises, it is im
c portant to be mindful of his example. This day helps
uHlo us to appreciate and respect the sacrifices that have
inomv educa- ^en ma?^e' and responsibility we share, to safeare
topics for guard human rights and the freedoms guaranteed by
realizes she is the Constitution.
3k at the prob- we ?^serve l^e birth of a leader who gave his
>k for ways to '^e 10 causes peace and justice, I join with
our students and all of the USC community in honmost
cases. In oring his legacy.
i abortion and .
,l:ij nntii - John Palms is president of the University of
1 unemployed South Catoltna.
kwheat is supdifferent
kind of
nd the other the 0 O FY"I D P A A It"
Iture, and who g VT d 111 C t Ut K
e term probably
represent everylat
the name im- Editor in Chief Eric Ward
'0 different pco- Managing Editor Tige Watts
vord is different. Copy Desk Chief Kathy Heberger
rent. We are all Asst. Copy Desk Chief Jennifer Jablonski
art that we. ran ViewDoint Editor Shell.ey Magee
racteristics does News Editors...Patrick Villegas/Gordon Mantler
lat we are basi- Asst. News Editor Kim Everitt
/e are different. Carolina! Editor Greg Rickabaugh
Asst. Carolina! Editor Lee Clontz
movement. The Graphics Editor Ryan Sims
11 be some prob- Photography Editor Virginia Marshall
There always is. Asst. Photography Editor Eric Glenn
:r off for having Sports Editor Ben Breazeale
han not. We live Asst. Sports Editor Chad Bray
everyone has a Faculty Adviser Erik Collins
2 recognized for Asst. Advertising Manager Melissa Owenby
d not who Others Asst. Classified Manager Amy Taylor
nk we are.
The Gamecock will try to print all letters received. Letters should be
200-250 words. Full name and professional title, or year and major
. if a student, must be included along with address and phone number.
Ann Winchell j^g Gamecock reserves the right to edit letters for style, possible
libel or space limitations. The Gamecock will not withhold names
graduate student | o,,7 .. j