OCR Text |
Show ni ygM nt iiT'inn ,i rr ' !.' Saturday June The Salt Lake Tribune 16, 1984 A13 Drawn and Quartered !VrV VJjmA li-- S ' To HE LtaTllK -- ON HE UlftV TELL MS MX? (HK 9DUZ "AT THIS PRK6 OUST B YOURSOF, I VI AWT YOO AMD HEREtb V .. TO " WWE TIMX? CAN HE CRY ON CUE?' rftfaxnrcfnusAixji (delegate) ''You Vc me J,"d m deC who1 U w ctk'' STARRING BIO LABOR ANDA SUPPORTING CAST WCOMMrTTEP RELEGATES RATEPZz:z W$fcf fio w? WW- - fc cr Sam Zagoria Hey, Journalists, Conflicts of Interest Apply to You, Too The Washington Post WASHINGTON Journalists who have not been reluctant to write about conflicts of interest involving public office have been reminded by recent events that they may have some untidiness in their own offices. A Wall Street Journal reporter was fired after disclosure that he had leaked information to outsiders. The Securities and Exchange Commission, which has filed suit to freeze the assets of persons alleged to have profited by many hundreds of thousands of dollars from the inside information, has argued that the reporter had a duty to disclose to readers that he had a financial interest in the securities about which he wrote. Now comes the report Conflicts of Interest: A Matter of Journalistic veterEthics" by Charles W. Bailey, an reporter and editor with the Minneapolis Tribune. Bailey is now Washington editor for National Public Radio and wrote the report hard-hittin- g Educate, Dont Shelter This is to Virginia S. Jameson, who thinks stopping her children (and everyone else) from watching R rated movies will help them grow up like Richie Cunningham of Happy Days TV series. Most of what you see in these R rated movies is what you see in life as it is today (excluding some extreme sex and violence). Wake up to todays world! Children need to be educated not sheltered. If you cant trust your kids not to watch what youve told them not to then youre not doing your job. But dont include my kids in your ancient thoughts! R rated movies are not hard core pornography. If my child were to see a rump on the screen it is not going to make him a pervert. Nor if he sees shooting is it going to make him a vicious killer. The day you or anyone else can tell me and my family what we can and cannot watch is the day we might as well be living in the Soviet Union! J.B. DAVIS Petulant Editorial I find your June 4 editorial on bicycling inconsistent. The writer makes many noises about the things bicycle riders do to annoy him, but instead of supporting the bicycle safety training sessions to be given by cyclists for cyclists on June 14 and 21, he proceeds to make snide remarks about such efforts. Is the man interested in efforts to ease the problems he encounters or is he only interested in complaining? Bicycles as commuting vehicles are here to stay for a variety of reasons, also it is past time for cyclists and motorists to start communicating and training to make commuting as pleasant as possible for all of us. A petulant, negative editorial is out of date and out of place. It only serves to make the adjustment process take a little longer. MILLIE EHRAM for the National News Council. Bailey points out that some journalists make big money, and not entirely from their writings. Many Washington writers, columnists and reporters alike can now match their newspaper salaries by delivering one lecture a month. A recent Los Angeles Times article by David Shaw reports that better known columnists are able to demand $5,000 or $10,000 or more per lecture and that one syndicated columnist took in $200,000 a year from speechmaking alone. ably delighted to see and hear the person behind the byline, and association executives may even hope that a paid appearance will also lead to a friendly reference in the next news story or commentary. But when that news story or column appears are the readers alerted that their author has supped at the organizations table? In many years of newspaper reading, radio listenieg and TV watching, I can not re- call any such warnings. In a different kind of warning, William Safire of The New York Journalists are often treated as celebri- Times does often remind readers that he ties and experts, invited to speak, write for used to work for former president Richard other publications such as company organs, Nixon. George F. Will, another columnist, appear on other media and travel to warm under pressure, did acknowledge that he had places in the winter and cool places in the been a debate coach to Ronald Reagan, then summer to meet with corporate executives. candidate for president. Trade associations and other interest Bailey declares, It may be less imporgroups have discovered that journalists are tant to forbid an outside activity than to be headliners who can attract crowds to con-- , sure it is fully publicized if it does occur. ventions and meetings. The audience is prob Journalists prescribe full disclosure as a substantial gilts from organizations about which they may be reporting or commenting. A warning sign should be posted. Bailey, a man of some independent means because of earnings from his novels, the easiest way to avert conflicts of In the federal government, the Ethics in says interest is for reporters and editors to forgo Government Act of 1978 requires financial pay for questionable appearances. He points disclosure of income, assets and gifts annuout that newspaper salaries have improved offially from about 11,000 upper-echelo- n since he entered the profession so greatly cials, and the reports are examined for pos- that arguments that employees should acsible conflicts by the agencies where they or lecture fees from intertickets, cept trips work. Another 800 to 1,000 presidential apest organizations as a sort of pay subsidy no pointees file similar reports each year, and longer hold water. these are available from the Office of PerHis report urges setting of public stansonnel Management. Members of Congress dards for y activities and journalists have a similar, if less demanding, disclosure a publishing newspapers ethical standards requirement. for all to see. It also means making sure there are ways for the public to make comWhile I have doubts about requiring disclosure of income and assets broadscale. I plaints and get them listened to, correcting believe reporters, editors and columnists errors promptly and ungrudgingly, and helphave a clear duty to their readers to voluning people understand how journalists work information about income or and why they do what they do. teer cure for many problems they see in the political, governmental and business worlds; there is no good reason why it shouldnt be applied with equal enthusiasm to the news business. off-dut- up-fro- work well. You done good, George. I will admit that some unions have become too powerful, and have abused that power. However, I dont believe that many Utahns, especially the younger ones, realize that without the unions their lives and standards of living would not be what they are this road, which crosses the famed Water-pock- today. Fold of southern Capitol Reef Park. was involved in gaining My father-in-laeight-hou- r the The last link for access to a Grand Circle day back in 1916. Many efforts Tour connecting parks? I dont see it. Maybe had been made to achieve this, dating back Grover to Boulder connects a Grand Circle to 1884, and often violence was involved. Tour, but not Boulder to Bullfrog. Before, it had been a day and a six or seven day week, low wages and no Forum Rules fringe benefits. BETTY HANSEN Public Forum letters must be submitted exclusively to The Tribune and bear writers full name, signature and address. Names must be printed on politiWho can argue against the impossible cal letters but may be w ithheld for good dream that everyone pay hisher fair share reasons on others. Writers arc limited to of taxes? But. alarm bells went off in my one letter every 10 days. Preference will head when I read that the Utah Tax Commisbe given to short, typewritten (double sion plans to set up a hot line for callers to use of the spaced) letters permitting inform on anyone thy know of or even writers true name. All letters are subto Mail the condensation. to Public ject Forum, The Salt Lake Tribune, Post Office Box 867, Salt Lake City, UT 84110. The Public Forum Tribune Readers Opinions Price of Freedom observances did If the recent home the contrast drove else, they nothing between our country of 40 years ago and what Georgie Anne Geyer so eloquently described as a policy of personal To those of this generation who might still wonder why anyone would undertake such a commitment, I would commend the words of John Stuart Mill: War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing he cares about more than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. We should all remember, freedom is not fre ALAN C. CARVER Bountiful no-ris- no-ris- k Dont Pave Trail Move the Old Burr Trail? Widen it for tour buses and mobile homes? NO! I think it is more adventurous to keep the countryside primitive between Boulder and Bullfrog (on Lake Powell). Improve the road, maybe, but widen it, reduce the grades and then pave it? No! I find it hard to believe the National Park Service is in favor of paving & et Smacks of Nazism We hear the Garfield County boys have started to pave it anyway. Well, lets not give them any matching state or federal funds. From what I see, Salt Lake City streets and Utah's legitimate highways have plenty of repairs and unfinished business to be done. y alone! Leave the ELLIOTT BERNSHAW back-countr- Blame Properly Put I appreciate George Bauer's excellent letter defending unions and putting the blame where it rightfully belongs: on the greedy banks and corporations, and on the present administration. He did his home k of evading Utah taxes by registersuspect ing his car in another state. For shame! We have recently suffered vicariously and we through remembrances of have been graphically reminded over the past years of the horrible atrocities suffered by Jews. Poles and others at the hands of the Nazis. But, have we forgotten that one of the first evil tactics of the Nazis was to control the German citizenry and keep them in line was by encouraging and rewarding neighbors and even children to inform on friends and parents when any deviation from the Nazi Party line was suspected? The following short scenario is probably not too far fetched:No. son. you can't take my car tonight." He is going to be sorry for that. Hey. man. my old man lives in Utah and registers his car in Oregon." Informer has always been a dirty word. Don't encourage squealers. Forget the hot line. It s a bad idea VIRGINIA PEDLER The Way It Was Here are briefs from The Salt Lake Tribfrom Washington, D.C. une of 100, 50 and 25 years ago. The rate was 22.0 per 1000 population, June 16, 1884 The fifth annual meeting of the General compared with 23.3 in 1932. New Mexico had the highest rate in 1933. Congregational Association of Utah will be held in this city June 27th to 29th. There will June 16, 1959 be an informal social at the church on the Dr. Mead LeRoy Jensen, a son of Mr. and 27th. A devotional will take place Friday Mrs. J. Mead Jensen, has been promoted to morning. associate professor of economic geology in June 16, 1934 the Department of Geology at Yale UniverUtah had the second highest birth rate in sity, New Haven. Conn. A native of Salt Lake the country in 1933, according to a special City, he was graduated from East High dispatch to The Salt Lake Tribune Friday School in 1942 |