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Show AA2 The Salt Lake Tribune Vacation Lampoon Lands Tribune Columnist on the Readers’ Hot Seat A meanderingthrough myweekly di Sunday, August8, 1999 WPAN READER ADVOCATE ary of readers’ observations, concerns and gripes: On the Hot Seat: Salt Lake Tribune columnists as I am sure most readers operateon long leashes, to relax and get aw then river running should not be on the schedule. Because the family vacation was spent in the Moab area, Kirby la mented that everything in that town seemsto involve some activity designed to increase the likelihood ofinjury “Also this time of year, there are alot offoreigners in Moab,” he wrote. “While many of themare nice folks, some of them are . howshould I saythis politely? idiots.” That Kirby's first volley. He proceeded to offer humorous tidbits about the language barriers viaa cast ofcharThey included “an Italian couple co Time, a German who spoke enoughSpanishto tell a Spanish woman SHINIKA SYKES story about President Clinton being as: sessed a $90,686finefor lying in the Paula Jones case appeared on Page A-16. The next day, news reportthat Linda Tripp, whosesecretly recorded phoneconversa tions with Monica Lewinsky ledto the impeachment of President Clinton, was charged withillegal wiretapping. The nl page One reader whoquestioned the place: ment of these two stories was Don Bariow of Bountiful, who said: “Il am amused by the paper's slant of the news inaneffort proof of The Tribune's pro-Clinton the best wayto get to Blanding. leaning. Readers and editors often disagree as “Seriously, about 200 percent of the people in Moab during the summer are fromforeign countries. None of them can find a bathroomon their own. Andif you “TWO, PLEASE, FOR ANYTHING WITHOUT SPECIAL EFFECTS OR FARTJOKES.” Faircriticism? Perhaps. But I know that no explanation will suffice even though Tripp is the only majorfigure in the year-long sex scandal to face a crimi nal charge-_ for those who feel they have to query a French-speaking Japanese personto ask anItalian-speaking Korean 7 mizeClinton’s escapades.” THE PUBLIC FORUM to what should or should not be on the Letters from The Tribune’s readers front page of the day's newspaper. As with any news story, editors make judg ments of news value, based on what they Shooting the Messenger tryto help, things only get worse.” Well, eyebrows went up, senses of hu morwent out the window and objections believe is important, surprising, unusual and interesting, and then play stories There have been several negative arrivedvia phone calls and e-mail. A half dozen or so readers wanted to knowif That said, readers ought to keep in mind, too, that true impartiality does not bunecartoondepicting the consequences of Utah’s gun laws(Bagley, July 7). The The Editor” read Kirby's columnbefore it was printed in Tuesday's Tribune. Anothercallersaid Kirbypresented “an other fine exampleof Utahns’ intolerance of anyonewhois not part of the dominant culture.” And this: “I read with disbelief Robert Kirby's column that belittled and disrespected foreign visitors to this country ordingly. readerletters recently concerning a Tri- necessarily result in equal sp: prominence. In formal debates, requires a moderator to give debaters equal time on the stopwatch, In journal ism, however, fairness has no such strictness. It simply requires views to be reported fairly as to the who, what, why, when, where and howof a news story That does not necessarily mean same andin thepaperof the city that will host the 2002 * wrote Lynn Groveof Park City. She continued: “There is absolutely nothing humor: pageplacement orlength. ous about the kinds of outrageous things. this, but several readers stand firmly against how the word “snuck” keeps might be excused as sneaking into The Tribune. A recent sports story about the Utah Golf Show downin Park City listed a fewofthe an Mr. Kirby stated ... [His] remarks just ill-informed or immatureand insensitive. However, we cannot accept as funny anything which remotely encourages anyoneto ridicule another human being. I did not find Kirby's column offensive because| recognize it For what it is: sat ire. I did, however,feel that | might get a few calls about his use of the word “idi ots.” Sadly, we nowlive in a world of such heightened sensitivities that we choose to be offended by just about any thing. (Forthe record, I did not hearfrom anyofthestate's foreignvisitors.) Pro-Clinton? Biased reporting is a popular accusation against the press, but because readers bring along their own predilections when reading news reports, it is difficult to prove 4 From the Word Polic 1 do not knowhow manypeople are bothered by tics made by Senior PGA Pro Larry is evidence, readers rightly take the pa per to task That is exactly what a handful of readers pointed out last week when a suggesting the cartoonist made light of the horrible tragedy in Littleton. Talk about shooting the messenger! These individuals are upset about see- ing the consequences oftheir “God-given right” to carry guns; they are not atall upset about the underlying problem, the availabilityof all kinds of guns. The cartoonist did not make light of or belittle the tragedy in Littleton; he held up a or to those whopreferto stick their is in the sandortorecite the National Rifl tion’s mantra that “guns do notkill, people with gunskill.” Whereis the outrage against the NRA, against the fact that in the United Stat somebody is killed by a gun every 93 seconds, their “God-givenright to life” per- Zieg! The storysaid Ziegler, who has a rep. manently taken away? Wake up and smell the coffee (or whatever you are al- leg.” A Salt Lake City readersaid, “I lowed to smell locally). Raii against guns and thefact that they can be bought and sold like a sack of potatoes, not against somebody who understood perfectly well and graphically depicted the horror of Littleton utation as a pract Y k behindJazz center Greg Ostertag, barked like a dog andthen grabbed Ostertag’s know you canfind ‘snuck’in the dictio: nary, but if you look under the word ‘sneak’ you will see ‘sneaked’ is the pre. ferredpasttense. It isa shameto see how the language is being watered down.” Hear, hear. Word choices, like facts, are a basic part of good journalism. Reporters and editors ought to be more alert to them than the »rage person. whether thereis actual agenda by the newspaper. If there writers were outraged at the cartoon, The Reader Advocate’s phone number N15. Write the Reader Advocate, alt Lake Tribune, P.O. Box 8 E-mail Lake City, Utah 84110. reader.advocateasitrib.com Rail against your governor, your wimpy Ls ature, and the gun lobby. ‘Theyarethereal caricatures, wringing hands, permanentlydoing nothing except blowing hot air and declaring the neces- sity and innocenceofguns. What the cartoon depictedis the prese consequenceof their “guns at any price” attitude, and the horror will happen againand again not becauseofthe cartoon, but of our inability to under- standits message, u Of Tradition Makes for Poor Law POINT OF LAW LONDON The alley entrance to Gray's Inn, between a pub and a shop on London's High Holborn Street, gives little cluethat it leads to the open courtyards, library, halls, chambers, offices, and liv ing quarters of one of England’s Inns of Court, those ancient institutions which together make up botha sortof bar asso ciation and law school for English Bar Londonbarristers are membersof these EDWARD McDONOUGH exclusive clubs, which for centuries have is the progeny ofthe law in England Witha few exceptions, some remnants of the Code Napoleon in Louisiana and There is a small shop of High Holborn Street, a few doors from the entrance to Gray's Inn, that sells “barrister’s sup: plic which | took to mean office supplies, file folders and labels and that sort of thin. But what the shop window dis- the community property concepts of the Spanishterritories, mainly in the Southwest, the origins and analogues of American Law are to be found inthe tra. dition of the English Common Law alreadyattachedat just theright angle to show nicely under a black robe, and white barrister’s wigs of varying size and shade There was oneof life's mysteries solved for me: Where would one get one of those whitewigsif one were a barrister? And, if one were a lawyer in England, it would have to be a London barrister would it not? who wouldn't opt to be a Rumpole of the Bailey defending with wit and wisdon. the accused in the world’s most fa,ious and infamous criminal court as opposed to a mere solicitor, a British lawyer who onlydoes office work andwrites briefs forthe barristers to take to court? The division of the legal profession into trial-awyer Barristers and office wherethe law is found not just in the statute books, but more importantly, in the decisions °f appellate courts that have come before. Legal precedent is more than a method of arguing your case, by saying to the judge your with cases that she should decide the case in favor because other judges, faced similar facts, have decided their your way. The application of the legal precedent of prior “case law" can be mandatory upon a trial court if an ap peals court that is in the same jurisdic tion, that is a hierarchical superior to the trial court, says so. trial court in Davis County in Utah's Second Judicial Dis. trict, for example, would be obliged to follow the ruling of the Utah Supreme Court in a case appealed from the Third District Court in Salt lake County if both casi 4 involved the same legal principals lawyer Solicitors has not been followed in the United States, but in almost every othergay that counts, the law in America Edward McDonoughis a Salt Lake City attorney omens of the Utah Bar letters City, Utah 84110, @ Our fax numberis (801) 237-2316, TheArticles of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches its members howto live their lives ac- cording to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. One of the Articles instructs its members to obey the lawof the land. But even as a practicing member and convert to the church, | findit difficult to ignorethefact that the LDS Church is attempting to be the lawof the land, rather than just fol. lowing it. The examplethat strikes me the mostis the church’s role in the same-sex marriage laws that are currently being circulatedin the California legislature. The church discourages certain prac- tices, such as drinking alcohol, coffee, soda and smoking cigarettes. This is done to prevent the membersfrom fallingill in mortal health, and preparing them for their temporal lives. Now, if the church is why aren't theygoing to the federal legislature and makingstrong attempts with financial ties to do away with the consumption of hot beverages, caffeine: enhanced liquids and cancersticks? In myopinion, majorreligious organi zations needto keep the role as advisers must concentrate on teaching its mem bers what is right from wrong, and letting them, in turn, teach the world. BRIAN JAMES MURRAY Salt LakeCity u A Bagley Backer Oneofthefirst things I turn to when I spit in theface of other people's wayof get my Tribune every morning is the edi. torial page, to see which sacred cow Pat Bagley is tweaking at the moment. I am matters. LDS Church spokesman Dan Rascon said, “(This is] a moral issue, not beforethepeopleof thecountryfor a vote seldomdisappointed. Heusually hits the nail on theheadwith a few deft strokes of his brush. (Thecartoons he drew during the Mark Hoffman fiasco several years ago weretotally priceless.) With his partner in crime, Robert Kirby, Bagley keeps us hard-headed, take-everything of ratification, and will change ma the state or country, is issue. The churehis just trying to gain controlof other state governmentslikeit for-granite Mormonsfromgettingtoofull of ourselves. controls the state government of Utah. Another teaching that the church passes onto its members is “treat others 48 you would like to have them treat over this one!” you.” Well, if this is how youtreat those who are not members of your organiza tion, why do you think there are so many attacks on LDS Church buildings, offices, members and missionaries around the world? This political action will only spark anger and hatred in people, God knewthis, and that is why he gave the commandment to “love one anotheras 1 haveloved you.” SHANESANDERS Taylorsville The premise that the company is on the verge of bankruptcy and the re- sultant headlineof the article was advanced by David O'Leary of Rye, N.H. O'Leary is not a covering analyst of American Skiing Company, nor does he cover any aspect of the recreation industry. In fact, O'Leai only relationship with the company is his marriage to a Skiing. His wife's contract was terminated in 1998. Two days after this, O'Leary sent the company a fax clearly indicating he intended to smear the company. Since that time, O'Leary has released“reports”to the news media and others which include falsehoods and misrepresentations of the company’s fi- nancial status and falsehoods about key members of AmericanSkiing Company's staff. He has also sent the company’s offices nearly 100 faxes and E-mails containing everything from crude cartoons to personalinsults. Clearly, these are not the techniquesof reputableanalysts. "he Tribune reporter had no knowledge of O'Leary's personal vendetta against American Skiing Company. Interestingly, if one removes O'Leary's quote and the headline, what emerges view of American Skiing Cor company with tremendous vi which admittedly faced fing lenges, but is now forging ahead whichis now in aposition to get back on its growth track It is also disappointing to us that The Tribune would seize onthe statements of one person andturna largely reasonable story into one which paints adirepicture of a good company. SKIP KING American Skiing Company Bethel, Maing u However, when I saw the July 7 car toon,| thought, “Oh, boy! Sparks will fly And I have been correct, as evidenced by the tenor of theletters since that date, Granted, the peculiar mind-setof our “esteemed”legislators on the hot-button issues of gun control and school funding is not to be believed by anysane person, However, that cartoon was just abit too far past the edge oftaste. But not to worry, Pat; you have re deemed yourself, Your gentle offering of July 20 regarding the death of John F Kennedy Jr. was touching andright on the money. Keep up the good work. KARLEEN Just Soccer According to Tom Barberi’s columa: (Tribune, July 18): “One gamedoesnot sport make.” Soccerisstill soccer. 4 America it is still a non-event in the” sports world. It has never beenable to capture an audience at a professional 7 level to makeit a real sport, one thi wouldattract ticket sale ‘Sat an arena TV network contri in California and asking them to donate money to support the initiativeis out of line. That's asking 740,000 LDS members, 4 political issue,” Any matter that is put believe unfairly distorts the company’s true financial condition. The LDS Churchneedsto realizethatit follow to this dayis “love one another." Obviously, the church has now changed its teachings to say “love one another, only if they followthe moral teachingsof our church.” And it is outright denial that the the company. Unfortunately, these formation, and in a manner which we cal grounds that this whole event boils can't continueto impact state legislatures by throwing dollar signs into the works. It life. proclaimed personal vendetta against quotes were presented without that in- bership as a whole. The churchhasrequestedto stay neutral on so many politi push for an initiative that creates hatred, churchis not getting involvedinpolitica from a single individual with a self- and apply their financial resources towards thingsthatwill benefit their mem: downto being very hypocritical, who should be caring and loving people, to treat others with hatred andbasically Pertinent Background The July 26article regarding American Skiing Company andits activities at The Canyons, though largely wellwritten, contained a number of quotes former contract vendor of American WrongRole for LDS Church don't see how aninstitution that teaches understanding, love and acceptance can Sendingout lettersto its congregation as living quarters and offices for mem with the ruffled lace ascot-style neckwear In response to the latest news of the LDS Churchpushing for an initiative to ban same-sex marriages in Californi: to considerit myreligion becauseof the beliefs it taught. The No. 1 belief that I regulated by the Inns of Court, and all plays is an assortment of white shirts ‘Out of Line’ 1 was raised LDS and was very proud haveservedas headquarters for Britain's trial court bar, Admissionto the bar is bers of the bar Sandy disdain and judgment among people. risters and which for a half-millennium provided law lectures and apprentice: shipsforthe training of lawyers, as well LDSTactics ® Keep it short. Concise developing a single theme are more likely to be published. WH Pleasetypeand doublespace. & Letters are condensedandedited B Because of the volume of mail received, not all submissions are published. @ Mail to Public Forum, TheSalt LakeTribune, P.O. Box 867, Salt Lake so concernedwith their members’health, EDITH E. LAKE England’s Tradition for the Sake Whereto Write @ When submitting letters to the Public Forum, please include your full name, signature, address and daytime telephone numbers. Information other than your nameandthecity in which youlivearekept confidential. EOSSS! ms They are free to say pretty much wl they please. Sometimes what they does not please some readers. Last Tuesday, humor columnist Rob: ert Kirby, now back from river rafting in Southern Utah, offered post vz servations. Headlined “Moab With Danger and Foreigners, opined that if you ¢ \\ have noticed OPINION B, LIEBSCHUTZ, Salt LakeCity i Tom, probably without evenrealizi 4 it, may have hit the nail on the heads7 Sports were never intended so couch pq tatoes can sip their beer in front ofth TV. Sports should mainly benefit thi participants and whenthis also provid someentertainment for other be However,when it become Baywatch the main Tomhas ay ‘or reruns d PETER MAIE! Stansbui u Skewed Priorities Letmeseeif havethis straight: Ifys are an IOC memberandyou need $28,00 worth of medical care, Intermountai Health Care will be glad to give it to yor free, But if you are a nurse at LDSHi pital and you want to spend your vac tion time providing health care through Operation Smile, you havetosell cook booksto help with immunizationcosts, Does anybody else see a problem wi this picture? Congratulations to thd nurses at LDS Hospital for their good hearts, Shameon IHC for havingits pri: orities so out-of-whack CHERYL PRIBBLE, Salt LakeCity |