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Show I comment Free Press - Wednesday, March 22, 1883 . Page 2 Meeting is ground level for county rezoning Thursday night's public hearing at the American Fork Jr. growth in the county. Other proposals would eliminate the transitional residential High School is one of the first in a process that may result in sweeping changes in zoning laws in the unincorporated areas of zone and seasonal home development on a large scale. The the county. county would create a commercial zone for canyon areas, and Of principal concern is a proposal to change the current provide for recreation vehicle development on a large scale in the unincorporated areas of the county. requirements for building a home in the Current rules require 40 acres of property to build a home. Once the proposals are acted upon - following a tortuous The proposal to be discussed Thursday would change that to five public hearing process that includes two more public meeting acres. and a public hearing by the county commission they will alter The change may apply to all unincorporated areas or only the face of unincorporated Utah County. It is a process that deserves as much public input as possible designated ones, that has yet to be determined. But where it takes effect, it will mean a potential for tremendous population from those who will affected by the changes. That's why Thurs county-controlle- d. -- - Newspapers shouldn't sell news space I'm not sure I feel comfortable with some ofthe things I'm going to say in this column, because they may sound But when a competitor hangs out a sign that says "News Space for Sale," it requires comment. That approach to news coverage" hurts everyone, from reader to advertiser, and you ought to know self-servin- g. the editor's column why. Sunday's Daily Herald carried a new feature called Business Portraits, which promised "A look at Utah businesses and industry and economic trends which create new opportunities in Utah Valley." It sounds pretty Local businesses are important, and deserve news coverage based on news value and worth to the community. But the Herald's Business Portraits doesn't deliver on the promise not by a long shot. Rather than an indiscriminate and honest look at Utah Businesses, the section simply provides a look at the firms which advertised in the Business Portrait section, as they would like to be seen. In other words, the "news stories" are just more advertising, parading as news. These are new opportunities all right. New opportunities for busieditod nesses to buy rial space that before was allocated on the basis of news value rather than dollar value. New opportunities for the Herald to mine a heretofore untapped resource of advernever mind the tising dollars ethical considerations. The Herald's advertising representatives sold space in the Business Portraits section with the blatant promise of "Buy an ad, and get a story of the same size." We know, because one of the advertisers told us, and in the same discussion high-minde- d. highly-covete- . if wondered about the ethics of their approach. Most newspapers consider this type of approach to soliciting for ads to be unethical. We feel strongly that under no circumstances should our news space be considered for sale. We also think our readers have a right to know which parts of our publications have been paid for, and which parts are news. We also feel that by protecting the impartiality of our news columns, we increase the credibility of our newspaper as a whole. That means more people will read our newspaper. And more will feel confident about the information they find inside. The theory is that confidence will carry over to the ads, as well. But most advertisers understand that a good news story carries a punch that an ad sometimes I want a bonfire-ho- t I definitely want a bonfire-ho- t marshmallow- - Easter. The first picnic of the year can but definitely be disappointing dog-bur- it's always worth the effort. If s usually nippy for one thing. Sweater weather with a smattering of rain, to boot. It's too late for hunting anything, even mushrooms, and too cold for fishing, So you've got to have a pretty good fire just to keep warm. The sticks and logs scattered around the creek are sort of soggy yet, so the fire burns with lots of smoke What fire there is, that is. And it's not a fire for roasting hot dogs or marshmallows. It's too late for basketball, too early for football, and miserable enough to make baseball, golf or tennis a no no. That leaves television and Easter picnics. Utah, BYU and USU are all out of the NCAA or NIT picture, so that leaves the soaps and Geraldo. Ill take picnics even in cold, cloudy, slightly drippy weather. I remember early Easter picnics. We used to finagle a wiener or two, some bread, a . home-bake- d If By MARC HADDOCK can't deliver. But the punch is the result of fact that a story is news - it can't be bought. The Herald's Business Portraits ; section tries to change that by offer- ing news space as a commodity to be bought and sold. The approach raises all kinds of questions. For example, how can readers expect an impartial story if it was purchased along with an advertisement? After all, the stories are displayed as legitimate news, with no qualifiers to warn the readers that they are reading promotional material. Once news space is for sale, can readers expect impartial coverage when an advertiser is involved in a controversial story? Or will the business or industry simply buy their way out of negative coverage? Do only businesses which choose to advertise in the Business Portraits section deserve to be spotlighted there? In Sunday's paper, every ad was accompanied by a story of the same size. Will businesses that choose not to advertise be passed by, no matter how many new opportunities they create for Utah Valley, in favor of businesses with less reason but more money to fill up the news hole? And what about the legitimate news stories that were left out to make room for the "business portraits?" There is a direct relation- ship between how much advertis- ing a newspaper sells, and how much news it can carry. By diluting that news space with paid-fo- r ar- tides, some legitimate news had to be left out. Whose story got cut? Also, once a portion of the news space is for sale, isn't the rest of the news space in the paper, provided the price is right? And once readers believe that, isn't everything that appears in the dog, believe it bag at the fire trying to generate some flames. The hot dogs were singed on the outside, cold on the inside, and Colemans or Del Monte would never want to bottle that sooty taste. We'd return home on our bikes, or by shanks' ponies, tired, hungry, disillusioned, and smelling like the d proverbial campfire. Nowadays, our kids expect the Easter Bunny to do a long- - eared version of Santa Claus. Kids of the late eighties are even writing letters to the Easter Bunny, expecting another batch, or basket, of candy and toys. Their expectations kind of knock our childhood Easter memories into a cocked hat. We also have to make sure the kids have a bath, shampoo, and that their hair is in curlers, so they'll be cute when we go tochurch Easter morning. They also have to have a new outfit with or without wet-woo- packet of mustard and catsup, a couple of potatoes to toss in the fire to bake and, if we were lucky, a small box of Campfire marshmallows. Sometimes there would even be an apple or orange. Tampered-witgrapes wouldn't have been a problem in my picnic days...too expensive. Grapes? In March or April? You've gotta be kidding! h for a business that usually gets less than favorable reviews from the reading public. After all it's just a newspaper, and it can print whatever it pleases as long as no one is libeled. But actually, most of the people in the news business feel pretty strongly about the integrity oftheir editorial copy. And most papers have solved this ethical problem by declaring their news space off limits to the advertising department's interests. Exceptions areclearly labeled - as in special sections where readers are told that stories are promotional copy, not straight high-falluti- n' news. I've never worked for a publication where some of the advertising salesmen didn't think the Herald has the right idea. Their job is to sell, and news space is one of the most marketable commodities the newspaper has. And I've never worked for one where the editorial staff would sit still for a second and see their news product degraded the way the Herald did this Sunday. Credibility is more important to most reporters and editors than making a few extra bucks. As a result, there is a constant tension between the advertising and news departments that works to keep the news side of the newspaper honest while still trying to turn a profit. It is an atmosphere that is healthy for the readers, the advertisers and the newspaper. The Herald's approach to Business Portraits goes against that -and at a cost. When news is for sale, it chips away at the trust readers have in the newspaper and in the end everyone suffers, advertisers and readers alike. Easter season favorite time of year The Easter season is my favorite time of the year. Starting with Good Friday. On this day our mother would always make hot cross buns. In the evening she would have us Nmeet together in our little living room and she would tell us the story of the crucifixion. In her gentle way she made the incident live and even though she told it year after year it was always fresh and inspiring. The eating of hot cross buns is one of the oldest customs of Good Friday. The buns were extremely popular in England. Many vendors plied the streets, selling hot cross buns. One of the street cries, later heard in America, was: "One a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns, "If you have no daughters, give them to your sons; "But if you have none of these, merry little elves, "Then you may keep them all for yourselves." On Easter Monday morning the had breakfast together. family There were boiled eggs, one for each family member. The eggs were mostly brown, but to we kids an egg was an egg, regardless of color. Dad always started the meal. After saying grace, he would put his, egg in an egg cup and break the top of the shell with his spoon. He would then remove it and put a little salt on the exposed part of the egg. He would take a spoonful and with a bite of bread and butter enjoy the meal. We kids watched how he did it and tried to copy him. The older kids did alright, but the younger ones had to have help. browsing BfcSft.. 9 B By TOM GRIFFITHS There was one time that Dad tried to be generous. He brought home duck eggs. They were large and appetite looking, but were so strong we couldn't eat them. Easter is a lovely time of the year. First, it heralds the end of winter and the beginning of spring. To the Christian it is the message of immortality. How sad life would be if there were no life after death. What was the origin of the word Easter? One of them came from the English historian, the Venerable Bede, who lived from 672 to 735. He wrote that in Britain the feast was named Easter after the Ango-Saxo- n goddess of spring, Eastre, whose festival was celibrated at the vernal equinox. There may also be a connection between Easter and the rising of the sun in the east. In a world of conflict, of low morality and other weaknesses, the Easter message is like a ray of spring sunshine to warm a troubled world. shmallow Easter burnt-ma- r Anyway, the big problems always came when we tried to get the fire to burn down to coals. The fire would never burn that long. They always ended up to be smoky, with me or my friends waving a paper you better pages of that newspaper worth less? Maybe all that sounds pretty day night's meeting is important It is the first time county officials are soliciting ideas from the general public on the changes, and it is the first chance to hear about the changes in a comprehensive fashion. For those who take issue with the proposed changes, and those who favor them, this meeting provides a forum to speak out before the process is well underway. Too often, these types of changes are implemented before we know what's happening. By attending Thursday's meeting, those concerned with how unincorporated Utah County is managed can get involved before it is too late. hat, gloves, and new shoes. Ill never forget the Easter when my Alpine friends hiked south from their homes and I hiked north and met them somewhere in Highland. I can't remember the name of the place, but there were plenty of trees, earthy smelling turf, and a bunch of cow pies to step around. Afton Devey, Mary Dunsdon and Fern Wilkin were all good sports and fun to be with. We built one of those green kind of Easter fires and proceeded to roast our hot dogs. That's when I received an education on singed, sooty, soggy hot dogs. Oh well, we were hungry enough. They still tasted good. Ifit was food, it tasted good in those days. We were all so elated that we hadhotdogs.evenifwehadtowrap them in homemade bread slices. The orange and banana in our lunch sacks were an added treat. We couldn't believe it when most of us even had a candy bar for later in the day. I've told you about the Easter when dad and mom, with their family, chugged their way up Provo Canyon to the still water, and had a glorified Easter Egg Hunt with Frank and Florence Humphries and their kids. Dad was so embarrassed when I found all the candy eggs ( a rare treat) and wouldn't share them with the other kids. Dad said that if I didn't share he would leave me up the canyon. I hugged the sack to my chest and defied him or anyone else to take MY eggs. When it was time to go, dad gently pushed meback when I tried to get into our little 27 Chevy. "No Betty, you can stay here and eat your eggs," he said. I watched, as the Chevy and Humphries' Model A pulled away and bumped over the rocks to the road going down the Canyon. I was still defiant as I waited for them to come back for me. I waited a long time. They didn't come back. Finally, I started to walk down the road. I still knew that my folks would come back for me and about hour and at least a mile away I saw the little green car as 1 could. I didn't even save one for myself. That was a memorable Easter. Anyway, getting back to burnt buns and cold hot dogs, I'm gonna light a fire in my backyard and roast myself a wiener come Saturday. Then, Sunday, 111 doll up in my best bib and tucker and go to church to celebrate the real reason for the season. lefci Wm Press ISSN No. 8750-466- 9 U.S.P.S. No. 309-50- 0 dry-eye- d, one-ha- lf coming up the road. My brothers and sister opened the car door. I jumped inside, and passed Easter eggs around as fast Published weekly except for Thanksgiving and Christmas by Newtah, Inc. semi-weekl- y 32 West Main Lehi. Utah 84043 Telephone Numbers Advertising & Circulation. 9 News Publisher. . Brett R. Bezzant Editors ...... ...Marc Haddock Betty Fowler Subscription price $19" per year 756-52- ..... Second class postage paid at Lehi, Utah Poatmaifer: Stud addnaa chanfea io 7. American Fork, Utah MOM P.O. B , Letter: Cause of losses is debt, not bankruptcies, argues attorney Editor: As an attorney who has chosen to specialize in bankruptcy, I constantly struggle to educate my clients and the public at large as to the truth about this area of the law. It hurt to see the paper I have supported for years undermine that effort. A person need not become an expert to express an opinion on a legal issue. However, a local newspaper exerts great influence in a small community. As a result, it owes a duty to its readers to check its facts fully before taking a stand. So I was distressed to see you base your editorial on hearsay, rumor and a short conversation with the clerk of the U. S. Bankruptcy Court. I agree that the paper has the right to publish bankruptcy filings. But I am offended by the manner in which they were published and by the reasons for publication as set forth in the editorial. The list was published on the front page of the second section, and in large, bold type, giving it far more prominence than it deserves. Bankruptcies are socially and economically significant, but no more so than obituaries, divorces, civil lawsuits, criminal convictions and welfare receipts. If bankruptcies are to be published, they should be given no more atten tion than these other social problems receive. The reasons for publishing the list were equally offensive. The implication was that everyone who files bankruptcy should be blackballed from receiving additional credit and that every bankruptcy results in great economic loss to society. This ignores the varied circumstances which may force a person to file bankruptcy and the varied types of bankruptcy available. Most responsible lending institutions do not judge a solely on the basis of a person's bankruptcy filing. Neither should your newspaper. I have spoken with Mr. Stillgebauer about your conversation with him. While I am sure that you did not intend to be misleading, you did not report his remarks accurately. The court does keep records of every case ever filed. It is only the physical file that is put in storage after two years. Thus, illegal filings can be easily policed from the court's own records. One need not hunt through back issues of a newspaper to do it. And the $20 million in legal costs" you cited is totally innacurate. He told me that the actual figure is closer to $13-1million for nearly two years, and it includes trustee fees, accountant fees, realtor fees, and auctioneer fees in addition to attorney fees. Fur credit-worthine- 4 ss thermore, such costs are incurred only when necessary to ensure that creditors can be paid. But lists and statistics of bankruptcy filings are misleading. Many bankruptcies result in some payment to creditors. Thirty five percent of all bankruptcies filed in Utah last year were repayment plans under Chapters 11, 12 or 13. Over $5 million was distributed to creditors under Chapter 13 alone in 1988. Even a liquidation bankruptcy under Chapter 7 can result in repayment. If there are sufficient assets, the creditors are paid in full, including interest and costs of collection! While I was writing this, a couple came to see me who had filed a Chapter 13 bankruptcy two years ago. They have been paying their debts in full through their plan. According to them, the Chapter 13 was the best thing they could have done for themselves and their creditors. Yes, there are large economic losses associated with bankruptcy, especially Chapter 7. But the real cause of those losses is the horrendous debts themselves. Many of those debts are incurred through no fault of the debtor, such as medical bills or other unforeseen circumstances. Bankruptcy is simply the public acknowledgement that the debts cannot be repaid as the creditors demand. Through bankruptcy, debtors can get a fresh start to rebuild their lives. Part of what makes our country great is the opportunity to fail and then keep trying until we finally succeed. It has been a part of our legal tradition since the Mosaic Code established Jubilee Year. I challenge your newspaper to conduct an investigation of the bankruptcy process. A full inves-- , tigation would include talking to the judges, the true-tees, the attorneys, the debtors and the creditors. Bankruptcy hearings should be attended to see first hand what really goes on. Only then will you be in a position to judge the bankruptcy process and its real effect on our society. Bruce A. Embry at Law Attorney ' Editor's notes The list of bankruptcies published two weeks ago seemed prominent partly th ' -- because they were so numerous. They will appear much less prominent in the future. Also, we apologise that our figures were mlslea&'gg. Nearly 8CC0 eases were filed la 1S3 alone. The $23 million figure was our estimate (based oa partial data) for the last five years. Apparency it was too conservative. |
