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Show TheSalt LakeTribune PERSPECTIVE 4 SUNDAY, October 31, 1999 = Much has been made of late about how oe oughtjournalists be in nosing the private lives of Salt LakeCity’s » Mayoral candidates. The debate was prompted by a Deseret *JNews questionnaire that wanted to know, vi among otherthings, aboutthe candi: dates’ sex lives, who their children (in a andoutof wedlock) are, the juvenile “records for all those kids, whether they “co-signed on loans for a family member, &the extent to which they drink, how often = and whythey have been in court, have ' they ever borrowed moneyfrom friends or relatives, their academicrecords and what trouble they gotinto as a younge All the denunciations,defenses,jabs “and jabbering this has generated not‘withstanding,it does not belabor the point to discuss journalistic issues in,,,Wolved. Onecertainly can question the "relevancy of such issues in a mayor's race, butin reality, there is a vast, situational gray swamp betweenlegitimateintrusiveness and journalistic voyeurism. Under the Deseret News’ voluntary questionnaire, Rocky Anderson's or Stuart Reid’s privacy would not be invaded without their cooperation. Unfortunately, no-commentanswersto “haveyou stopped beating your dog” type questions can look like you are hiding something. ‘These damned-if-you-do-damned-if-youdon’t response scenarios prompt evad- ing, fudging and whispering campaigns. _ News media havetheconstitutional committee prompted these background questions. How a questionnaire would havekepteither of those debacles from occurring escapes me. Besides, Birkheadtold Tribune Reporter Rebecca Walsh, one of the press’ rolesis to define politics asit plays outin campaigns.“[The News]is sayingit is LETTER FROM THE EDITOR havebeen avoided or, at best, have been right to dig into the backgroundofpublic figures and publicize resulting facts. The need or propriety of doingsois the sole debate. As an employer,I am forbidden by lawto ask job applicants almostall of the above examples becausethey havelit- ‘Ought the news media report deeply | presented toall 11 candidates on the pri- personaldetails about mayora! candidates? Suchthings asdivorces, juvenile transgressions, academic problems, whether they borrowed moneyfrom friends or relatives, or whatseriousilinesses they have Suffered in the past? tle bearingonthejobfit sitting before me. Such questions introduce inappropriate criteria and portendveiled agendas. University of Utah Communications professor Doug Birkhead feels the questionnaire undercuts the press’ethical responsibility in coveringelections, shifting it from theproperto the prurient. Aly Colonof the PoynterInstitute, a respected journalism think tank, told The Tribune: “It sounds to melike the paper wanted to know every possiblepiece of information that might be negative in nature. The questionis: Is the community askingfor this information?” No, thundered a firm majority of Salt LakeCity residents last week. In a survey conducted for The Tribune by Valley Research, morethan in 4 felt such probingflat out was inappropriate. (See survey chart on top of middle column.) The OtherPaper’s questionnaire, in YES 10% YES, WITH 40% RESTRICTIONS No | + 4.5% margin of error its and withoutcity council approval. @ Theinquiry appeared to be aimed at a specific race and candidate, Rocky Anderson, whoholds somepositions on social issues the sectarian Deseret News finds abhorrent. No other race — not even Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, whois seekingto be leaderof the free world but who is in harmonic convergence with the De- @ Let’s get a grip here. Weare not talking aboutthe leaderofthe free world; weare choosing a mayorfor Salt Lake City. A key leader, surely, but mayors inflict little lasting damageoutsidecity lim- aboutthem. Butthelist as a whole goes beyondthe boundsofpropriety.” ‘Suchquestionnairesare shortcuts to old-fashioned, hard-nosed journalism.Ifa relevant backgroundissuelegitimately they must and The Salt Lake Tribune certainly has been — journalists oughtto crossthatline for serious, specific and 3% © 1999 TheSalt Lake Tribune its totality, crossed several lines: “Tn the face of what happened to our present mayor,”says Utah political scien. tist and First Amendment championJ.D, Williams,“I can understandthat someof the questions have the smell oflegitimacy If news media mustbe offensive in ‘Suivey Oc. 25-27 of 505 Salt Lake City registered voters by Valley Research simplyreacting. ! don’t buy the argument that‘the devil made medoit.’ “ their questioning — and,on occasion, | | 77% UNSURE mary ballot. @ Hypocrisy mayalsobe in play. Earlier this year, the Deseret editorially scolded Atty. Gen. Jan Graham forher audacity in demanding Utah’s sanctimonious congressionaldelegation publicly acknowledge any maritalinfidelity in lightof Clinton's impeachment. seret News — is deemed important enough for a background check. To maintain an appearance ofpolitical disinterest, deeply personal questions ought to apparentreasons. The questionnaire before usis a fishing expedition. Noevi- raises its head during the campaign or a mayor's administration, it oughttobe fer- denceof substance abouteither Ander- reted out and reported. son or Reid suggests the need for such an in-depth andonerousinquiry. Thepublicis clearonthis point: A pol Lastyear,in response to a Sait Lake Observer inquiry aboutdifferences be- tween The Deseret News and The Tribune, the editor of the News was quoted as describing The Tribune as being,attimes, too “in yourface.” Fair criticism. itician’s stands and theissues are more importantthansalaciousdetails of his or herpersonal life; keep your nosecloser to whatis important. Indeed,a recent na- Mightit also be fair to say,givenits de. sire to dissect the private lives ofselected tional poll conducted for the American Society of Newspaper Editors, found 2 in 3 respondents applauding a hypothetical newspaperfornot publishingthat a polit- mayoral candidates,that the Deseret News,at times,is too “in your bedroom?” Lal ical candidate had an extramaritalaffair 10 yearsearlier. ‘The Deseret News argues that scandals surrounding incumbent Mayor Deedee Editor Corradiniandthe Salt Lake Olympicsbid INTE RATIONAL WE EUROPE / AFRICA eraN= Sire) Olea =ea = Au Revoir to Wolves The decision by the French government to remove wild wolves from the country's Alpine region brought cheers of celebration from farmers in the southeast of the country. Officialsissued a reportreccommending that all of the approximately 40 wolves be cither caged or destroyed due to complaints that roaming packs of wolves were massacring flocks of sheep. Wolves in the French Alps were hunted to near extinction by the 1930s, Small numbers began toreappear in the early ‘90s, migrating from the Italian Alps into a wildemess area north of Nice, Local shepherds blamed the predators for the deaths of1,250 sheep last year and hundreds more in 1999. Environmentalists contradicted the claims, saying that feral dogs are far P. Compiled by TOM HARVEY 1B Uruguay:Presidential candidates ended their campaigns Friday. Today's vote is a test of strength for socialist Tabare Vazquez, the 59-year-old former mayor of ideo who has capitalized on discontent with the twotraditional parties and an economic slowdown. However, Kenyan Contamination Ry Vrowsands of Kenya's resi- none ofthe three main candidates appears likely to get the simple majority needed to avoid a possible Nov. 28 runoff. Compiled by BRIAN MAC INTYRE ® SouthAfrica: More than fiveyears after the collapse of apartheid, the government proposed a bill Thursday outlawing all formsofdiscrimination, saying racism is |_ Forthe week ending | 85 October 29, 1999 S35) dents are feared to have been Earthquakes BY exposed to radioactivity from ‘At least one person was killed confaminated construction materials and hundreds of others were used in building roadwaysinthe city of injured when a magnitude 6.4 Msambweni, about 44 miles from the temblor struck the city of Chiayi in port of Mombasa. The irradiation was caused by a thorium compound in the quake-ravaged Taiwan, one month after construction material that was obtained the island's worst earthquake in recent @ Mexico: Campaigns today enterthefinal week of campaigning for the first presidential primary by theInstitutional Revolutionary Party. The long-ruling party is holding a U.S.-style primary on Nov. 7 to select its candidate. Upstart Roberto Madrazo Pintadois is trying to score an upset over party regular Fran- from anundisclosed source. One of the medical authorities sentto the scene told eporters, “This is a natural radio hich causes ailments that can ‘occur after a long period.” cisco Labastida Ochoa. Choking Smoke A massive cloud of choking smoke descended over north© em Egypt, causing panicked residents to jam phone lines to police and fire stations. The giant cloud, which covered the city of Cairoand four north. em districts, left Egyptians short of breath and with irritated cyes, The smoke came from seasonal fires set by farmers burning straw from their rice harvests, Unusual atmospheric condi tions trapped the smoke and kept the cloud close tothe ground. Argentina: The Spanish judge who wants to put former Chilean dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochetontrial for alleged human rights abusesis about to indict 100 Argentine military officers, a lawyer said Friday. Judge Baltasar Garzon is working on the final details of an indictment charging the officers with terrorism, genocide and torture, Spanish attorney Enrique Santiago confirmed Friday M@Chile: A court charged seven retired A active volcano continued its eruptive phase. Vulcanologists predicted that Java would soon flow from one of the ruptures in the mountain's centralcrater, down intothe uninhabited valley on the western slopes. * Western Mexico'sColima Volcano shot smoke 2,950feet into the sky dur history. + Earth movements were also felt in ingthe latest ofa series of eruptions. the Kuril Islands, northem New Tropical Cyclone Zealand, southeastern Turkey, southern At least eight people died in Greece, Wales, and in California's flooding, and thousands of Mojave Desert and Owens Valley others were forced to evacuaté their homes, after tropical cyclone Eruptions OSB drenched parts of Thailand and Ecuador's Tungurahua Vol- northern Malaysia before taking aim on cano sent up another huge the cast coast of India. The storm was mushroom-shaped column of packing winds of 120 mph as it made ash and gas as vulcanologists kept the landfall near Calcutta late in the week. crater under close scrutiny for an immi nent, explosive eruption, At least 23,000 Mexican Inundations nearby residents were evacuated during At least six more people perthe previous week in anticipation of ished in Mexico's flood-rav. such an explosion. aged state of Tabasco when * Sicily’s Mount Etna spewed glow emergency releases of water fromthe ing rocks hundreds of feet into the Penoles Damcaused new surges of Mediterranean sky as Europe's most floodwater. Damsupstream from. the still rife in South Africa.If passed,thebill would banall formsof prejudice based on | Vostok, (Russia) @ | Antarctica race, gender, sexual persuasion, disability and other grounds. People foundguilty of floodedareas have beenfilledto the bursting point byincessant rains which began in mid-September. wouldbe set up to deal with complaints. breaking the law would be fined or have their business licenses suspended.Courts Girthy Griffin Flies Again /An overweight griffin yulture ‘was put on starvation dict by Jordanian conservationists unul the birdofprey was once Wireiand: Union leaders representing Ireland’s 27,500 nurses ordered an end to their eight-day strike — thelargestin the country’s history — after winning key concessions from the government Wednesday. Mostof the Irish Republic’s nurses walked off their jobs last week in again able to return to the skies. The animal spe cialists at the Royal Society for the Con. servation of Nature in Jordan began car ing forthe raptor last month whenit was brought to the center after having been captured by hunters and domesticated. The predatory bird, known in Arabic ns hopes of winning higher pay and status. ‘Thestate and union leaders agreed to give newranksand extra wages toatleast 6,500 ofthe nurses. a black cagle, is regionally threatened and has protected status. Mohammed @ Lithuania: Upset overthestate's selling of part of its state oil company, Lithua nia’s prime minister resigned Wednesday,triggering a collapse ofthe tiny Baltic nation’s governmentfor the second time in six months. Prime Minister Rolandas Yussef, head of research at the Society, said the bird had probably beenin cap. tivity for more than a year and was so couldn't fly. After only two days of fasting, the large bird became hungry enough to once again take flight Diutributed by: The Los Angeles Tames Syn mail earthslip. net ©/9% Earth Environment Service Paksas’ resignation obliges the 13 mem- bers of Cabinet to step down as well. President Valdas Adamkus, whe cut short a visit to Canada to deal with the governi d out: mentcrisis, i military officers Fridayin the kidnapping andkilling of sevenleftists during Gen, Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship. Among @ Guatemala: Union leaders representing workers of a Del MonteFruit subsidiary have accused a local chamber of com: merce of forcing them to resign at gun point in order to prevent a planned 10-day strike. Morales Chamber of Commerce representatives were among nearly 200 armed men whoforced workers to resign on Oct, 13, leaders of the Union of Banana Workers ofIzabalsaidrecently, @ Dominican Republic: The Organization af American States harshly criticized the Dominican Republic on Friday for classi fying children of Haitian migrants who China: Beijing has protested the “Taiwan Security Enhancement Act,” approvedbythe U.S. House International Tom Harvey is a former correspondent ih Latin America. He compiled this column coercion andforce. ial hart ee ey Ce aten Periodicals changes toThe Salt LakeTribune at theabove address Compiled by JENNIFER SKORDAS prisoners during the 1960s turned himself W Asia: The AIDS epidemic could erase theregion's economic gainsover thelast two decades unless governments main: in Thursday, 12 years after going into hiding. Lee Kun-an, 61, was dubbed the “Torture Artist” by former dissidents whosaid his favorite techniquewasdis. locating arms and knees, Past military omist Martha Ainsworth said. The eco- governments decorated him 16 times for his service. into prostitution. The United Nationses. timates that 7 million people in Asia are infected with the HIV virus or AIDS. balization to colonialism Thursday and saidit was a destructiveforce. “The new world orderandglobalization thatcertain accused of torturing hundreds ofpolitical SUBSCRIPTION RATES vo g, Hy Mall (4-week pertod) —o- Ida, Wyo) i oy y (Ui Sunda} Sunday Only (Utah) $1200 Sundays Only & Thanksgiving 0 Daily A Sunday (Outside of Regen) 625.80 Member Audit Buress of Circalations 4 i destroying vehicles. At least two people were injured and several opposition lead: ers arrested, It was Ivory Coast's worst political confrontation ‘since August, when authorities accused opposition Rally of the Republicans leader Alassane DramaneOuattara offraud and suggested he was ineligible to run in next year’s presidential elections. the Myanmar military regime's closure of the frontier Oct. 2 in response to Thai land's handling of the takeover of Myan. mar’s embassy in Bangkok by armed stu Congo: The government has accused U.N. military observers of plotting toas sassinate President Laurent Kabila and helprebels trying totopple his regime. In an open letter addressed to General Kofi Annan, Congolese Foreign dent activists, The monks and nuns, who normally eat only what they are given by devotees, are not getting enough from their own people after the suspension of cross-border trade sent food prices soar- Minister Abdoulaye Yerodia said his gov ernment had received reports that 4 “killer” was amongthe 22 U.N.observers in the country tryingto lay the ground for a possible U.N. peacekeeping mission. Jennifer Skordas worked as an editor at an English-languagene‘ kyo. She welcomes jskordas@sltrib.com per in To- email at CIRCULATION NUMBERS Carrier Delivery (4-week period) a ei Bivory Coast: Riot police fired tear gas and rubberbullets Wednesdayto disperse thousands ofanti-governmentprotesters, who responded by throwing stones and Myanmar: Hundreds of Buddhist monks and nunshaveillegally sneaked into Thailandto seek offerings because of food shortages. Their plight stems from ing. @ iran: President Mohammad Khatami, in a jabat the United States, comparedglo- South Korea: A former police captain The Kall Lake Tribune (ISSN 0746-3900) ism,” he saidin a visit to France. “This imperialism threatens mutual under. standing between nations, and communication and dialogue between cultures.” clear it will protect Taiwan from outside nomic turmoil forced governments to slash programs and pushed many women from wire service reports. ignored, looks like a kindof neocolonial. tween the U.S. and Taiwanese militaries, and establishes lines of communications duringcrises, It also states thatit is in the United States’ national interest to make are born there as illegal residents. In a report, the organization's Inter American . in whichthe cultureofthe entire world is Relations Committee. The act increases Commission on Human Rights urged the Dominican government to give Haitian thigrants work and residency papers and theacting prime minister. powers are trying to makeus accept. training operations and exchanges be- tain fundingfor social programs, a World Bank expert warned Monday. The re gion's two-year economic crisis may have further hurt thefight against AIDS, econ- to maketheir children bornin the country legal residents. going Labor Minister Irena Degutiene as PACIFIC / FAR EAST / MIDDLE EAST those named in the arrest warrants was retired Gen. Hugo Salas, whoheaded the feared secret police of the Pinochet regime. Brian Mac Intyre was a reporter in his native Dublin. 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