Couldn’t Fak have left off his last sentence?
To the Editor:
I consider Alex Fak’s cut-off last sentence in last Friday’s paper now restored a disgraceful and distasteful statement that is intellectually dishonest.
It is my understanding that the Iraqi TV interview to which you refer is a violation of the Geneva convention. Using chemical weapons is also a violation. Iraq having these weapons and/or not complying with the disarmament process is a violation of UN security council resolutions-a further violation of international law. (Note the SCUDs launched at Kuwait to see a tangible violation of international law.)
Whether you support this war or not is not the issue, you have a right to your opinion. Journalistic integrity is the issue.
It is my understanding that UN resolutions (including 1441) and the violation of the Gulf War cease fire are the legal basis in international law for the US troops being in Iraq.
Claiming parity in this instance is irresponsible because the instance Bush cites is illegal and the issue you cite is legal even if you disagree with it.
Factual integrity in reporting and intellectual honesty in journalism (even in columnists and analysts) are responsibilities you accept as a journalist. In this case I believe you have ignored these responsibilities.
When your analogies are not only wrong but irresponsible, please follow your axiom “so much for arguments that rest on punch lines.”
D.M. Lindsay
U-City
Where’s your proof, Pierce?
To the Editor:
In the April 4 edition, Brandon Pierce had a story on Washington University Medical School’s change in procedures to require patients to provide consent specifically for medical students to perform pelvic exams while the patients are under anesthesia.
Two-thirds of the way through the article, Pierce writes that: “In the wake of this change, the public is questioning whether students are receiving adequate education about patients’ rights.”
A strong editor should have caught this bald effort to create controversy ex nihilo, and looked to see if anything in the article supported this generalization. In fact, Mr. Pierce never cites any polls that show public opinion about this issue nor ever quotes a single member of “the public”, and thus his generalization should have been excised by the editors. In general, the editors should be very skeptical whenever “the public” is said to do anything.
While perhaps relatively harmless in the case, this subtle sort of media baiting the public-telling us what we think-is a very harmful practice, and is a violation of the professional ethics of journalism.
When the media uses its subtle power to create hysteria, it manipulates the public by way of a cheap bandwagon effect, and decreases the public’s ability to be objective and deliberative about important public issues. This same sort of public-baiting was used to impeach President Clinton (“the public has growing concerns about his integrity”), and most recently to develop public support for a war on Iraq (“the public has growing concerns about Saddam’s relationship with Al Qaeda”). I know that Mr. Pierce meant no harm, and I hope that Student Life is a crucible of learning for future professional journalists. Thus, I only write so that this will be an educational opportunity for Mr. Pierce and his colleagues.
Thank you for your ongoing service to the university community.
Christopher Robertson,
Doctoral Student, Arts and Sciences
Clarifying Thurtene 30 years ago
To The Editor:
A comment was made in the article “Greek groups propose reforms to Thurtene fundraising rules” that “thirty years ago Thurtene Carnival didn’t even donate to charity.” I was the treasurer for Thurtene in 1975 (not quite 30 years ago but…). Our faculty rep was the registrar (Jim Burmeister, I believe). After putting aside a few hundred dollars as seed money for the 1976 event, we donated all net revenue to charity. Mr. Burmeister made it very clear to us that it was the privelege of Thurtene to be able to make charitable donations. By 1975 that privilege was already well established. In fact, at the first official meeting of our group in 1975 we were told that all the revenue “always” went to charity. I think that if Ted James asks any Thurtene alum he will find that charity donations have always been a way of life. I’m proud of it, the university sponsors are proud of it, and the recipients are thankful.
Best Regards,
Ed Rezek
Get your Faks straight
To The Editor:
Alex Fak’s article on the “War Circus” last Friday was full of so many inaccuracies that I thought it was a Student Libel column.
For one thing, Fak repeats the tired idea that peace marches don’t accomplish anything. But I’ve found that they have a lot of benefits: rallies rejuvenate the spirits of activists and provide a forum to advertise other anti-war actions. And from personal experience, I know that peace rallies can affect pro-war audiences. At a mock funeral procession two weeks ago, 200 peace demonstrators encountered a group screaming of pro-war demonstrators. Then, all 200 of us were signaled to participate in a massive die-in on the street. The pro-war group fell silent at the image. While arguing that peace protests will change George W. Bush’s mind is wrong, it’s also impossible to say that these events have absolutely no impact on observers.
“Most anti-war ‘activists’ are too afraid of getting arrested,” Fak claims, to make any lasting change. Where do I begin to contradict this argument? How about the front page of the newspaper on which he is a staff columnist? The very day that Fak was stereotyping peace activists as being gutless in the face of possible arrest, Student Life ran a front-page story about T.A. Angela Gordon’s arrest with organizer Bill Ramsey. Other peace activists that got arrested include Washington University students Peter Jones and myself. Peter and I, along with 12 other people from St. Louis of all professions and ages, participated in an act of nonviolent civil disobedience on March 23, where we successfully stopped the transport of smart bombs for a few hours. In national news, 215 protesters were arrested at a massive die-in in New York on March 27. And these examples are only a sampling of recent arrests in the U.S. Just because Fak refuses to participate in this sort of action does not mean that “most antiwar ‘activists'” feel the same way. Before he makes these statements he should read national news sources, ask fellow Wash. U. students, and read his own paper.
When we think about anti-war movements, we need to keep something in mind: getting arrested is not a good barometer of someone’s political integrity. People can protest the Iraq war in different, effective ways. Some students write letters to the editor. Others make care packages for soldiers and civilians in Iraq. Others write their elected officials and ask for policy changes. Alex Fak refused to look past our public rallies and see our very real acts of peace. Student Libel’s a great way to take a break from serious news reporting and have a little fun, but Fak needs to restrict his blatant fallacies to parody newspapers.
Rose Kowalski
Arts and Sciences, 2004
On Clayton elections
To the Editor:
I would like to inform WU students about Judy Goodman, candidate for Clayton Ward I Alderman. She is a graduate of George Warren Brown School of Social Work (1974) and currently serves on the GWB Alumni Board. In this role, she has addressed recent graduates, talked with students about career opportunities and considered student requests for funding activities. In the past she has served as an adjunct professor, supervising students in practicum placements.
In her professional work, she recently facilitated presentations to students on issues of domestic violence in conjunction with St. Martha’s Hall, a shelter for abused women and children. As a Clayton resident, she takes advantage of university offerings, from Edison Theatre and the campus library to basketball and football games.
Actually, I have worked with and have respected Judy for over 25 years. We met while developing health education programs and family planning services for teens. If you would like to learn more about her candidacy and issues in Ward I and the City of Clayton, please take the time to contact her directly at [email protected].
Jeffrey J. Bassin, President of the Alumni Board
George Warren Brown School of Social Work
P.S.: You’re still not funny
To the Editor:
I need to express my utter disgust and disappointment at the April Fools’-inspired article “WU Shuttle explodes over Texas” printed Tuesday in Student Libel.
While I appreciate humor and think the idea of a fake front page article is a clever idea, the fact that a mockery was made of the shuttle explosion is shameful.
I and my co-workers are all shocked by the tastelessness of the subject matter and the disregard showed to those who lost their lives in the actual shuttle explosion as well as their loved ones left behind. Had the shuttle explosion not actually happened, the article could have been considered witty; however, since the tragedy did in fact take place, choosing to do a mock article is completely in poor taste.
We hope in the future that whomever is “in charge” will show a little more taste and little less crassness in deciding what articles are appropriate.
Sincerely,
Jessica Halbert
Office for International Students