Salt Lake Tribune | 1997-08-03 | Page 22

AA2 The Salt Lake Tribune OPINION Sunday, August 3, 1997 Readers FrumAll Sides Attack Tribune Reports of Welch Case WPAN RRO story and mostof the readers who called did not take issue with the story itself, whatthey strongly objected to were the two photographs that accompaniedit. Both photographs were action shots. READER ADVOCATE Thefirst one showed a young man sliding down a rail duringanin-line skating competition. This teen is wearing a helmet but the straps are not fastened. The photo captured the straps flying aboutthe skater's head SHINIKA SYKES The second picture showed a skater bouncing toward theceiling of an indoor facility. This skater was not wearing a helmetatall. Everyso often a story raises fundamental questions about how the news media report the personal problemsof a public figure, Of course, I am referring to the local and national attention that former Salt Lake Organizing Commnitee Presi dent Tom Welch incurred following the filing of a domestic battery charge against him. Tribune readers weighedin on all sides of this issue, and here is a sampling of their comments: WT always thought The Tribune had more class, but your front-page picture [Saturday] was tabloid journalism at its worst,” said a Salt Lake City man wholeft a lengthy message on my voice mail. & “It's not newsworthyto reportall the intimate details of this man’slife,” said another caller. “It’s just not right.” @ “Lookslike Welch has got his tail caught in a noose,” said a Holladay man. “Lalwayssaid he wasoverrated and overpai @ ‘The media has tried and hung him out to dry before hehashis dayin court,”” offered a Utah County man. “Thatarticle on Sunday was muckraking, it’s wrong and I am extremely disappointed in The Tribune.” @ “Let's not make the mistake of seeing [Welch] as an 0.J. Simpson whenthe facts are in dispute,” wrote a South Jordan woman. “if his job calls for perfec- tion, we need God.” @"I had hoped 7he Tribune had moved away from the “good-ol'-boy type of reporting,” said a Salt Lake City wom- an, who waslivid that The Tribune's re- port about Welch’s resignation did notinclude the fact that he has been charged with a serious crime. “Whereare the statements from those who are trying to stop domestic violence?" she asked. “This was a good opportunity to let people know that dumes- tic violence can happen in any family.” In an ideal world, there would he well defined rules as to how a newsstor» such as the Welchs’ should be reported But there are no such rules. No matter how a “Now that I havefinally convinced my kids to wear helmets [whenskating], The Tribune runspictures showing them it’s OKto skate without a helmet,”said a Salt Lake City reader. “It’s irresponsible and poor judgment for the paper to show these kids without helmets.” “T understand the concerns,” answered Features Editor Anne Wilson. ‘“Photographs tend to showlifeasitis, not as we wantit to be. The story was about places to skate, not what gear to wear while skat- T believe the concernisvalid. I also believe The Tribune does have a responsibility to be sensitive to the imagesit sends to readers, especially the young and impressionable. If these were the only pictures available, then the caption should have encouraged use of protective headgear. Thatsaid, the thrustofthis issue is in the hands of concerned parents. For them to work within their communities to make protective skater headgear popu- lar. Don't allow skating competition unless a helmet is worn — no matter how fee and other increases in parking rates ‘The faux pas of the week had to be the at the airport are nota sign of an agency July 28, 29 and 30. History buffs knew something was amiss when Tuesday's report said “On this date in 1945, American soldiers liberated the Dachau concentration camp. That same day, in a Berlin evenpublic individuals. 000 The lead story in Tuesday's outdoors. and recreation section (Daybreak) told how to find an in-line skating site that's right for you. It was an excellent feature Pioneer Wagon Train trek on Page A-2 in items for July 29 and so on. No wonder readers often ask; “Does The Tribune have proofreaders?” The Reader Advocate’s phone number is 237-2015. Write to the Reader Advocate, The Salt Lake Tribune, P.O. Box 867, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110. E-mail: [e-mail] the ABA as the official position of all e) American lawyers. ‘The plain factis that only a fraction of all those schooled to practice law in this country can be counted in the ABA'sfold, Moreover, membership in the organization is voluntary rather than compulsory Unlike the Utah BarAssociation, which includes of all Utah's licensed lawyers, the ABA hasnoofficialstatus, It is merely a giant, national lawyers’ club. EDWARD McDONOUGH The ABA puts on fine meetings at spiffy vacation spots, and, like any good fraternal lodge, sponsors lots of good works. But it has no official status, and can't presume to speak for the profes- At the American BarAssociation annual meeting in San Francisco on Tuesday and Wednesday, the organization's dele- sion, gates will be asked to consider two separate, opposing resolutions on physician- gates have no business speaking for its own members on matters of moral con- assisted suicide. itself into factions whena resolution was could no longer support the ABA with their numbers or their multiple hundreds suicide legislation unless and until re- of dollars in membership fees. The ABA's abortion resolution did nothing to resolve the abortion controversy, life experience in our multicultural environment confirms that appropriate care alternatives, supportive services, pain re- lief, and legal protections are available to all persons approaching death," The resolution also proposes “that any state opting to legalize physician-assisted suicide should ensure that information and reporting systems are established to achieve close monitoring of the impact of such practices, especially with respectto vulnerable populations who may be partieularly at risk if such practices are authorized." T don't think the ABA has any business adopting resolutions that take positions on matters that have clearly created mor- al controversies, Aside from thedifficultles this dubious resoluting creates within the organization,eens other than attorneys often regard / pronouncements from ¥ ¢ ing people. if the Airport Authority can- interest rather than a penalty and hidden proposed, and later adopted, supporting abortion. Many lawyers who had been longtime ABA members were provoked to resign. They had strong personal and religious beliefs against abortion, and felt they It had no effect on legislation or on court decisions. it had no effect other than to alienate manyof the ABA's long. term members and drive them outof the organization, An ABAresolution on assisted suicide standsto accomplish little more, especially since the U.S ene Court during the recently-concluded term ruled no federal constitutional right to assisted suicide exists. Laws banning assisted suicide in the states of Washington and New York, the Supreme Court ruled, were valid. The ABA, {t seems to me, should leave the matter there and not force out more ofits membership by telling them how to think and fee! on emotionally charged is- sues of moral judgment. Edward J, McDonough practices law in Salt Lake City, | ly knows abouthigh prices and forcible freedoms. Let me enlighten you on these questions. The price I paid in losing my son to an impaired driver was extremely high. I would gladly andwillingly comply with a roadblock, especially if it meant 1 did not have to pay thatprice. I am chained to a routine of forcing myself out of bed each day. Iam forced to remember what transpired nine years ago every timeI look at a young family, a college or high school graduate, see a broad-shouldered young man, or get in tay car. Every time my children leave homein an automobile, I carry a burden about another innocent person seriously Women Don’t Belong in Combat tax on those whoarewilling to help others. Lost Freedoms Price of bust too high? Forceful freedom?I do uot believe the writer of these editorials (Tribune, July 13 and 20) real- with a heavy chain of worry until they return homesafely, Every time I read better management or propose a fee in- Clarence Page’s column (Zribune, July injured orkilled by the actions of an :mpaired driver, I relive that fateful day a young adult had the “freedom” to drink To discourage the use of short-term parking for long-term travelers (one of 13) about womenfighterpilots as a mirror to how society reacts to change does not speak to the issue raised byfighting and drive and take the life of my 16-year- the justifications for the increased fees), men; it speaks aroundit. The question is whenI experienced losses of a good job with greatpay, excitement and happiness the Airport Authority should change the short-term feeto $1 for the first hour and $4 per hour after that, with a maximum of $20 per day. By keeping long-term parking rates substantially lower ($2 per houror a maximumof$14perday), longterm travelers would be morelikely to use the long-term lots. Unlike the Airport Authority's proposedfeeincreases,this fee schedule truly helps the short-term parker, hurts the long-term abuserofthe short-term facility, and provides anincrease in monies for the airport parkingfacility. To justify a price increase based on “our prices are lower than other major airports” is not a justification, Government has an obligation to the public to obtain the best services for the lowest price. Raising fees or imposing other monetary burdens on the public purely because some other agency or locality charges more highlights the fiscal irresponsibility of the organization andillustrates that thereis really no good reason to raise the fee as proposed. The Salt Lake City Airport Authority needs to reconsiderits role as an agency with a duty to serve the public interest, It should also reconsider its proposed park- ing-fee schedule. The public has borne the burden of increasing airport taxes and fees for years hidden in the cost of airlinetickets, Must we now bear another burden as our alleged public servants serve themselves? The Beverly Hills Bar Association wants the ABA to adopt a resolution ad vocating ‘that all states legalize voluntary assistance by physicians to terminally-ill adult persons requesting aid in ending their own lives,” under enumerated circumstances and safeguards. The ABA's Commission on Legal Problems of the Elderly is pushing a resolution rec- search and practice data on the end-of- to the car, the $2 entry fee and additional increase in parking rates for the first houris a slap in the face for decent, car- Moreover, a majority of the ABA dele- troversy, A few years ago, the ABA split ommending “thatstates refrain from considering adoption of physician-assisted gate or to claim their luggage and takeit crease thatis tied to service in the public Not All U.S. Lawyers Condone The American Bar Association POINT OF LAW For those of us who help the elderly, our parents, families, or friends to the not manage the parking facility on its current budget, it should either look for history items were not purged from the computer data bank as they should have been. Desk editors erroneously believed the file coded “History29” was history plain of a cover-up for a well-heeled pub. is a sign of greed on the part of whoever manages the parkingfacilities at the airport. 1945, and they called to say so, This unfortunate mixup happened be- age is unfair. If the reports are tess inan informative, less aggressive and pub. lished on an inside page, others will com lie figure. There are no winners in reports public interest. The proposed $2 entry bunker, Adolf Hitler married Eva Braun and designated Adm. Karl Doenitz his successor ” A aumber of World War II veterans knew this happeved April 29, not July 29, cause The Tribune began publishing the Where to Write When submitting letters to the Public Forum, please include your full name,signature, address and daytime telephone numbers. {nformation other than your nameandthecity in which youlive are kept confidential, Keepit short. Concise letters developing a single theme are morelikely to be published. Please type and double space. Letters are condensed andedited. Because of the volume of mail received, notall submissions are published. Mail to Public Forum, ‘The Salt Lake Tribune, P.O, Box 867, Salt Lake City Utah 84110. @ Our fax numberis [phone]. trying to do whatis best for the public;it Page A-2 feature ‘On This Date,” which contained the history items for April 28, 29 and 30, instead of history items from placeof‘todayin history” items in April. ‘Though the trek ended, the unused April about the domestic problems of auyoue, Airport Fee Hike Is Greedy In its quest to better managethe parking resources at the Salt Lake Airport, the Salt Lake City Airport Authority has lost sightof its sacredtrustto serveiv. the skilled a skater may be. If younger skaters see the moreskilled and professional skaters wearing helmets, they may also see it as the right thing to do. ooo If the reports are informative, tough and aggressive, somewill say the cover. Letters from The Tribune's readers those who feel strongly aboutit, I urge story such as this one is reported, there will be criticism. THE PUBLIC FORUM ROBERT BASKIN North Salt Lake still in debate, even though some combat Positions have been opened to women in peacetime: Should women be used to fight in direct combatroles? Navy Capt. Dennis Gillespie stated that hefelt it was ourtraditional philosophy that “we wouldn't put women in harm’s way.” The feminists called the captain's remarks chauvinistic; Page referred to the remarks as “lovingly condescending discrimination,” What hogwash! Both Page and the feminists are out to lunch. Gillespie simply stated the facts, Historically, America has never sought to put womenin combatroles, You'll be hard-pressed to find any combat veteran who feels women should be in combat period, let alone in combat flying positions, the infantry, Armor or Artillery, the Silent Service, Recon, the Seals, or in the Special Forces. Yet, the politicians caved in and opened combat flying positions to women.I believe this was done to appease feminist pressure in and out of government.It's not a matter of women’s rights; it’s a matter of what is right. Women can do the job, but should they? ‘The military is not a game and it's not a top-gun movie experience;it's hard work and deadly serious. In combat, planes and helicopters are shot down, over 5,000 in Vietnam. It’s bad enough when men end up in POW campsor have to run around the Bosnian countryside, hoping to be air-rescued. The politicians should have talked to some of our POWs, especially those who were flying in helicopters when they were shot down in Viet- old son. My “freedoms” weve infringed upon on special occasions, a good night’s sieep, good concentration and memory, mis- chievous smiles from my son, his unconstrained joy for life, and his future plans for a family. Come on, Utah, wake up! Impaired driving kills and injures millions each year,all of which can betotally preventable. Until people are willing to take responsibility and obey laws,lives will be seriously altered and disrupted to the pointof very high prices andlossoffreejoms. Yes, everyonehas the “right” to drink and abuse drugs whenever they please. But once they get on the road with a deadly weapon (their cars), their freedoms andrights should end. Which freedom is more important, the right to live or the right to be killed? I applaud the Utah Highway Patrol and those who work diligently on a daily basis to keep our roads safe. After all, driving is a privilege, not a right. KATHY BROWN Sandy o A Baby-Recruiting Agency Recently, 1 attended a meeting for adoptive parer‘s sponsored by LDS Social Services on how to make morebabies available for adoption. While I sympathize with the manyinfertile couples who are unable to have their own biological children and wish to form their families through adoption, I was offended that such baby-recruiting meetings are being After a long and hardship-filled jour- nam. I would like to meet the men who think that a woman should go through such an ordeal, And for some of these women to say they have a right to take that risk, my ney 150 years ago, the Mormon pioneers finally reached their destination in the Salt Lake Valley and the promise of a new life free from persecution, The Alex- answer is yes, but only when there are no vices really wanted to increase its num- do their God-given duty. Peacetime service, in some combat positions, may be look at the message potential that birth a Another Wagon Train ander Fancher/John Baker wagon train did not have the same good fortune 140 years ago after entering the Salt Lake Valley in August 1857. Composed pri- longer any able-bodied men available to warranted for women. But may God have mercy on the nation that puts its women in combat. GREGORYJ. SMITH Layton marily of Arkansas immigrants led by Al- exander Fancherand a large herdoflivestock owned by John Baker, they headed south to their California destination not knowing whatfate had in store for them On Friday, Sept. 11, 1857, they were attacked eight miles south of Enterprise, Utah, by 52 devout MormonIron Militia- men,together with the requested help of local Indians, None ever reached their destination, It took only a matter of minutes to massacre approximately 120 un- armed men, women and children. Only 16 babies who were “too young to remember or talk” were not killed. This hideous crime, together with numerous past murders committed by Mormon Danites and « profusion of miaguid. ed doctrine, have rendered all Mormon Church claims to being Christian null and void GLENN D, HUBBARD Salt Lake City 0 Enjoying the Trail I appreciated the daily installments giving reports on the progress of pio: heers of yesteryear and this year, as well as the special commemorative edition, “Retracing the Trail" (Tribune, July 27). The reports were excellent examples of honest, unbiased reporting, journalistic qualities which I have grown to appreclate aa T have worked the last 10 years with the InterAmerican Press Association as a simultaneous interpreter.In this position I have become aware of many of the challenges journalists must face and have gained an unusual layman’ appreciation for top-rate journalism, Congratulations to the Tribune staff! GERALD G, CURTIS Zz Salt Lake City | held with no regard orinput from the suppliers of these babies — the birth par- ents. It seems to methat if LDS Social Ser- berof placements, it oughtto iake a good mothers are getting with their “confidential only" adoptionpolicies, Birth mothers who want upstanding LDS families for their children are forced into confidentiality procedures that J feel promote fear and shame among all members of the adoptiontriad, as well as society in general. Why not Provide openness as an option to those who desire it? Why should there be shame and secrecy attached to a noble and loving decision? This is why I feel most birth mothers whoinitially contact LDSSocial Services end up turning to other agencies for help or opt to raise their baby themselves, LDSSocial Services is a baby-recruiting agency, As its head commissioner, Fred Riley, stated in the above-men tioned meeting, “Weare in the business of finding bal for families." Their purpose is to fill the great demand of adoptive parents wanting babies; never mind where those babies come from or whatis in their bestinterest, As an affiliate of a church that so strongly advocates free on LDS Social Services offers little choice in adoption. JENNY SHEPHERD x neomee