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Show ‘Sunday, April 23, 2006 DAILY HERALD ~ EDITORIALS IN OUR VIEW DailySHerald EDITORIAL BOARD Albert J. Manzi, President & Publisher Randy Wright, Executive Editor Donald W. Meyers, Editorial page editor Nancy Hale, Public adviser Carole Newkirk, Public adviser Jason Bellows, Public adviser IF PFS IS ALLOWED TO OPERATE A NUCLEAR WASTE STORAGE SITE IN UTAH, LOOK FOR YET ANOTHER STATE SLOGAN! Support Provo school bond some Provoschools. In Provo, the Ss anyone who has managed a family budget knows,there are times when it is necessary to borrow joney. Nobody‘expects people to. wait until they save up enough portables represent enoughclass- room space for an elementary school by themselves. Thebondis for necessary re- money to buy a house, or make significant repairs. Those are » times when even the most fiscally prudent would agree that a loan . Is not irresponsible. The ProvoSchoolDistrict finds pairs, as well as construction of the Lakeview Elementary School to serve the growing population onthecity’s west side. Buildings are an overlooked, butvital part of the educational process. Apart from questions ofsafety, it is hard to find a good program in classroomsthat are substandard itself in just such a posi- tion. On June27,it will ask residents to approve the issuance of $35 million in bondsto rebuild ‘one school, construct a newelementaryschool and make repairs on otherdistrict facilities. It is also seeking a $1.5 million leeway to cover maintenance, operational costs and improved teachersalaries. In the past thrée years, the schooldistrict has made greatstrides orin buildings that are not equipped for today’s Portable are = designed for temporary use, but ve they have become permanent ea in getting its housein build- to stand up during an earthquake can’t help. some Provo schools. In )p HERALD POLL Siretkiocaseroons to improve education. The leeway will ad- Editor's note: The Daily Herald recently asked readersif the news should'be censored toreflect the views of the majority. Here are the comrhents we It will-help improve teacher pay,allowing Provo, the the district to attract and retain more good ones, andto reduceclasssizes. portables represent Thedistrict is taking care to ensure that the fa Ta Fixing the buildings will also reduce some operating costs. The moneysaved byinstalling insulated windows and efficient heating and ensuring quality as well. tary Schoolhas literally reached the endofits usefullife.It is at the received: Newspaper must Herald poll Recenth we asked the foliawing question at the Daily Herald Web site, wwe heraldextra com: Reporting news good, promoting deviants bad “Should nevespapers consor news to reflect the majority?” point out good, bad andugly in life The newsshould not be censored in any way, shape or form. You should putit out the wayit is, and that’s what the media is supposed to be about. Don't censor anything. ) DeanLott, Lehi I certainly don't have a problem with tax burdenis not onerousorhits residents suddenly. The bonds will the Daily Herald reporting a wide range enough Classroom ._— space for an be phasedin over three years, so the ownerof a is hard to imagine, with so many mo- Evencensorship for ‘good’ reasonis bad for people $200,000 homewill see mentous events occurring throughout the world, that the SoulForce Equality elementary a gradual ramp-upin his property taxesto anincrease of $130 a year by Riders deserved front-page coverage. The photographof the gay men embracing was hardly newsworthy,but it was Weneed to know whatis goingon.It is $10.80 cents a month at obviously intended to arouse passions in a community with strong moral values. good for young peopleto see news, and see it presented in the newspaper. , d Justin Lowder, Provo point where upgrading school by of news, but I do have a problem with the way the Daily Herald doesso. It themselves. 2008. That worksout to the buildings more en- = that areletting cold air in during The Daily Herald and the community would be better served by better reporting rather than by flagrant pandering to deviancy. ithe peak: Thebondis a chance for Provo residents to put their money wheretheir mouths are when it comesto edu- the winter and negatingair conditioning in the summer, thereby driving up the schooldistrict's utility costs. Thedistrict is also using far too manyportable classrooms. Portable classrooms are designed for temporary use, but they have them. Provoansneed to supportthis bond. For more information, go become permanentadditions to to www.provo.edu. as a ing you arein is going additions to dress other means of Timpanogos Elemen- ergy efficient. There are quite a few schools with single-pane windows Having to meay _ about whetherthe classrooms order, but the physical needs of the school district are something that cannotwait until the district has cash in hand. the building — including bringing it up to the current seismic code — is more expensive than a newbuilding. Other schools need seismic upgrades, plus repairs to heating and cooling systems to make technology. » George W. Scott, cation. Residents havetold the schooldistrict they want neigh- rem People have nothingto fear borhood elementary schools, and the bond and leewaywill provide from SoulForce coverage The news media havea responsibility to report the truth. News organi- . zations should never caveto special MEDIA VOICES From The Christian Science Monitor, April 21, 2006 rael appearsin jeopardy. Whileit has moreorless refrained from violence for over a year now, other militant groups such as Islamic ust weeksin office, the elected Hamas leadersin the Palestinian territories have further isolated themselves by unconscionably condoning Monday's suicideattack in Israel. Timeis running outforthis radical, anti-IsraelIslamic group to comearound. Before the deadly bombingcarried out by the separate Palestinian terrcrist group Islamic Jihad, Hamas had dropped hintsthatit might recognizeIsraelif it withdrew toits borders before the 1967 war, which would mean a full Israeli pullout from the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Such a changein public position would imarka significant step forward for a group long dedicated to destroying Israel. But the unexpected winnersof January's Palestinian parliamentary elections may not have the luxury of gradually working out internal divisions between moderates and hard-liners. The financial squeeze that Europe,the U.S., and Israel have put i d terroron Hamas as a ist organization is already taking Jihad and the A] Aqsa Martyrs Brigades are stoking violence, whichis meeting Israeli retaliation. These groups areforcinga day of reckoning for Hamas, and its decision this week to condone | | | | | thekilling ofnineIsraelis as legit- | imate Palestinian self-defense indicates that hard-liners currently have the upper hand. If Hamas wantsto keep support of Palestinians and avoid a societal breakdownthat may accompany economic collapse or prime minister] is not what you see from there [not being prime opportunities. » Wanda -Vowles, Spanish Fork promoting and maligning. Promoting SoulForce and maligning community and university valuesis not reporting. Criticizing the Herald for so doingis not censorship but indignation. » Warren Hardy, Provo Daily Herald not putting enough good news out Unless we becomea recluse and go live in a cave we can't avoid the bad news. It’s pervasive,it’s everywhere. So wewill see or hearit whether or not the Daily Herald publishesit. But the Herald yourbrains. Rememberthat intolerance could do a better job of emphasizing the good stuff. caused someof your pioneer ancestors to suffer persecution and even death. : » Fay S. Parker, ) LynneHarter, rem Lehi PAUL K. MCMASTERS Pokingholesin history to plug leaks officials have openedupyet Proposals for an “official secrets act” aggressiveeffortsto controlinformation. The primary target is the press, butthe inevitable resultwill be to ho- are being floated in Congress. Governmentlawyersare stepping up their use of thestate-secrets doctrine to cut short inconvenientcourt cases. mogenizepolitical discourse and sanitize The mostpernicious developmentin anotherfront in their increasingly li violence,it must change sooner rather than later. It’s not easy to cross a longheld (andfailed) doctrine, butit can be done. Israeli leaders Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert showed this by minister].” Hamas blew itsfirst big test by eee Monday’s fatal bombing. It undoubtedly have another chance to get it right, but it won't have time for many more don't change. The Herald evidently does not know the difference between reporting, vents you from seeingclearly or using with military restraint against Europe and thehits States are withholding — hhumanitar- newspaperon the Wasatch Front. It is wonderful to-have a newspaperreport Promoting SoulForceacts is not proper journalism in Provo your vulnerable parts exposed andpre- run the Palestinian Authority jan ids sll flowing. Theyrightly. demand that Hamas recognize Israel, forswear violence and abide by past Palestinian-Israeli agreements. At the same time, the Hamas strategy of a cease-fire with Is- I really enjoy reading the Daily Her- the newsin an unbiased way. Please anothercycle of Palestinian-Israe- Hamas,Israeli Prime Minister designate Olmert allows room for the pressures of governing to force needed cl e in Hamas. As Mr.Sharononcetold him, “Whatyousee from here [as Paper's reputation strong for giving balanced view of news Whatare youafraid of? If your values are strong, you don’t needto “protect” your children from “otherinfluences.” Keeping your heads in the sand leaves pledged $50 million each to help fill the gap, that’s nowhere near enoughto support the roughly $150 million a monthit takes to government. ‘Arab nations oftenfail to live up to their pledges to the Palestinians,andit’s hard to imagine their limited donations as a substitute for the $1 billion which contributionstrom aketol, tobacco and gambling interests?”Polling bs open at our Web site until Thursday at 11:45 pan. ald. I tell peopleit is the most balanced | this nation’s memory ofits past. The newsbrokethis week that shortly after the death of legendary investigative reporter Jack Anderson last December, FBI agents contacted | his widow and demanded access to 188. | boxes of his papers. The FBI apparently wanted to search reversing themselves on Jewish Anderson's notes and source material settlements in Gaza and founding : for evidence to use in the government's a new pclitical party to withdraw prosecution of two former lobbyists. from parts of the West Bank. Agentsalso said they would have to Yasser Arafat showed it by removeanyclassified information they signing the:1993 Oslo Peace Acmightfind. Anderson's family rejected cords and recognizing Israel’s the demand. Theysee this moveas a vioed to exist. lation of Anderson’s values andlegacy. inian President As And himself wrote years Abbas did the same by denouncago: “Whensomething has come across ing violence (including Monday's my deskclassified as a national at attack). And Hamas's shaky secret,it has involved the misdeeds and cease-fire hints ‘at possible evolumanipulations of people who had abused tion. the public trust, and then had swept the Byreacting to the bombing evidence the secrecy stamp.” effect. While Iran and Qatar have Total votes: ‘25 Current poll: “Shoukd Senator Hatch regect interests. To those parents who were “offended” by the Herald's coverage ofthe SoulForce Equality Riders’ visit: Hamas running outoftime to renounceterrorist past Newsshould not be censored. You should publish everything thatis news. This tug of, war over the Anderson pa- this legal adventurism, however,is the effort to get the courts to sanction the unprecedented premise that recipients ofclassified information can be pros- ecuted underthe 1917 Espionage Act. Apparently, the FBIis bolstered by that assumption in going after the Anderson papers. “Underthe law, no’ private person maypossess classified documentsthat wereillegally provided to them,” FBI spokesmanBill Carter told The New York Times. There has never before been a prosecution of the press under the Espionage Act; indeed, there had been no prosecution of nongovernmentindividuals until federal prosecutors went after Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman, who were working with the AmericanIsrael Public Affairs Committee whenthey. _ received classified information from a Pentagon employee. Althoughthe judgein that case has endorsed the idea that recipients oforally freedom ofthe press or of speech as guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States.” Ina 1977 memo, AnthonyA. Lapham, as general counsel for the CIA, described provisions of the act that government lawyers are embracing todayas “vague and clumsy” andsaid that whenit came to publication of booksandleaksto the press,“It is extremely doubtful that the provisions wereintended to have applications in suchsituations.” Patrick Fitzgerald, special prosecutor in the Plameleak case, specifically and publicly declined to consider charges against the press under the Espionage Act. Even governmentprosecutors in the AIPACcase concedethat applying the act to thé press “would raise legitimateandserious issues and would not be undertakenlightly.” That is why, until now, the Justice Department,the intelligence community and Congress have refused to apply the Espionage Act in this manner. Going after journalists, scholars, lobbyists or otherrecipientsof leaked information would havebeen constitutionally reckless andpolitically incendiary. ‘Yet the FBI's demand for Anderson's pers is just the latest in a chilling series of government threats to press practices andprinciples, to historical accuracy and tothe public’s right to know. journalists committed to reporting fully and responsibly on national-secu- passed classified information may be prosecuted, there are some who don't believe they need to wait for the trial’'s outcome! They arealreadycalling for the use of the Espionage Act to punishjournalists who haveused classified informa- papers in the government's quest to extend the law’s reach reveals that some government prosecutors are eager to write anotherugly chapter in the EspionageAct's sordid history.In its 90 years _of existence, the act has been used to send. issues and developments are being hauled into court and threatened with tion to report national-security stories. That would be terrible mistake. thousands of Americans to prison for extheir First Amendment rights. prison if they don’t giveup their sources gov . Protections for those sources are being dismantled. Investigations pursue the sources of leaks that produced suchstories as the ibd less of Americans National Secutity Agency and theOa’‘Ss secret interrogation centers. The law’s clear intent was to distinguish between spying for pernicious reasons and leaking for patriotic reasons. The 1950 amendmentto the act affirmed that by stating that nothing in the law “shall be construed to authorize, require,or establish military or civilian censorship or in any way infringe upon It isa history that Src Feta ok back on in shame. We shouldn't repeat it. SS » Paul K. McMasters is the First Amendment ombudsman at the Freedom Forum’s First Amendment Center. He can be reached at pmcmasters@freedomforum.org. |