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Show THE ZEPHYR DECEMBER 1990 vote on the referendum may have been Improper. Then some county officials decided to stonewall, to claim that no public money was spent on the mailing, even though a county check had already been used to pay for the postage, we ran another story about the coverup. Supporters of the courthouse referendum were mad, ranging from furious to apoplectic. They said it was unfair to run the story just days before the vote, and after county residents turned down the proposal, they said Channel 6 was at fault, due to Its Irresponsible Journalism. I was ready to defend what we did. County officials run off using county funds to press for their own views, then lying about It, that should be reported. I was ready to speak out in support of a vigorous, unfettered press willing to be a tribune for the people. I was raring to defend what I did. But nobody thought I did It. "That was irresponsible, tell Mattingly that. But what about me? I can be as bad as he can be. Naw, It was him. Jim Mattingly and I work together putting out the Channel 6 News. Sometimes Ive pulled him back, other times hes stopped me. But In the end, good broadcasts and bad, we feel equally pleased or displeased. But in fact if he gets all the blame for the bad stuff, he should then get all the praise for the good stuff. And I can use some praise, too. The Zephvr is a monthly publication, and usually all I do for it is an occasional interview. But with the elections, that meant a couple of articles In each of the last few Issues. I talked with Manuel Torres and Craig Bigler, and the interviews ran side by side. I met with each separately, asked similar questions, and recorded all the answers. Then I transcribed the whole thing, and edited down from 7,500 words to about 2,000. What that means is that two thirds of what the candidates said was never printed. As it turns out, they tend to repeat themselves two or three times in an answer, so editing isnt always that difficult. But It can be hard choosing which of the two or three repetitions is the clearest, most concise answer. So I spend a good deal of time making those choices, recognizing that the candidate might not agree with the decisions. The following month, I recorded them Interviewing each other and repeated the editing process, along with separate interviews with David Adams and Ken Sleight. Things the candidates didnt particularly want went into the paper, and things they liked were left out But again, people told me it was Stiles, it had to be Stiles, who was doing the editing. And when I told them, no, it was me who left out your good line, who butchered what you said, theyd smile sympathetically, as if to say, We understand. You just work for the guy. PAGE 5 al mcleod electrical contractor 259-709- 0 po box 1423 moab " half-cock- ed, tTUy youR. dAy$ be ffleww ? 13HIGWT .CANYONLANDS FIELD INSTITUTE P.O. Box 68 Moab, Utah 84532 CANYONS EDGE HITS THE ROAD wasatch front calendar december3 7:30 pm december5 7:30 pm January 20 january 22 8:00 pm 8:00 pm logan, utah student center theatre salt lake city, u of ubehavioral sciences aud. snowbird, cliff lodge ballroom ogden, weber state little theatre tickets available at the door think that people feel theyre being kind to me when they say that, but In fact Its kind of Insulting, as if only the boss has the brains or ability to determine the slant of an article, good or bad. Well, I want that kind of thinking to stop. If my name Is on an article, I did it. If it runs on the Channel 6 News, Im responsible. I can screw up as much as any of them, Sam or Jim or even Jim. In fact, I think I have the potential to outdo them all, to make momentous blunders that will put I them to shame. I am to blame. Its my due. MERRY CHRISTMAS DELIVERING FUN SINCE 1984 still only 50 dollars the traveling tub jeff davis, owner 2250 murphy In 259-846- 3 |