Opinion
Thursday, October 6,1994 Page 4
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoin
Jeff Zelenv.*..Editor, 472-1766
Kara Morrison..Opinion Page Editor
Angie Brunkow.Managing Editor
Jeffrey Robb. . ..Associate News Editor
Rainbow Rowell..... .Columnisl/Associale News Editor
Kiley Christian. .Photography Director
Mike Lewis..Copy Desk Chief
James Mehs/ing..Cartoonist
Tough decisions
Journalists may face ethical dilemmas
Most of the time, a journalist’s work is routine.
Movies have glamorized the journalist’s profession. We’ve had
behind -the-scenes looks, as stars from Robert Redford and Dustin
Hoffman to Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts have broken
“the big story.’’
But suspension of
disbelief in movies often
influences the public’s views of
reality. This is especially true
with newspaper movies, as
civilians have little knowledge
of what exactly the journalist’s
job entails.
Most of the time, a
journalist’s work is routine.
But work was anything
but routine last Friday for
Viorel Florescu, a photographer
forNewsday.
Bret Gottechall/DP
Florescu was on assign
ment in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Last Friday, he lived guts-and-glory
journalism. Literally.
In Florescu’s words:
“He was hiding behind a wall when a group of men armed with
an M-l rifle, machetes, knives, handguns and stones came running
down the street. I began taking pictures.
“They came upon him. I was 30 feet away at the time but ran
toward them as I saw they were about to attack the crouching
young Haitian. He had a look of shock on his face, his eyes
bulging.
“Then, one of the attackers aimed his pistol and shot him at
almost point-blank range in the head and torso. The others pelted
him with rocks, one the size of a football, and hit him with sticks.”
Several journalists then carried the victim from the scene, away,
until an ambulance arrived. The attackers continued to throw rocks
and sticks the whole time.
Florescu’s stunning picture — of the young man cowering in the
street before an arm and a gun — ran in newspapers nationwide.
Sometimes, journalists are faced with ethical situations and
must make decisions about where to draw the line of objectivism
— the line where being a journalist begins and being a person
ends. Those are never easy decisions.
Florescu and the other journalists made a decision to help the
man who was assaulted. They could have stood by and watched a
human die at the hands of a mob. Instead, they put down camera
and note pad to save a life.
The Daily Nebraskan commends the journalists who carried the
victim away from a certain, brutal death.
It is good to know they had more on their minds than just
getting a story or photo to give to their editors.
They got one anyway.
Staff editorials represent the official policy of the Fall 1994 Daily Nebraskan Policy is set by
the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board Editorials do not necessarily rellcct the views of the
university, its employees, the students or the NU Board of Regents. Editorial columns represent
the opinion of the author The regents publish the Daily Nebraskan They establish the UNL
Publications Board to supervise the daily production of the paper According to policy set by
the regents, responsibility for the editorial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of
its students _
-1 1
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Nebraskan. 34 Nebraska Union. 1400 R St., Lincoln. Neb. 68388-0448,
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Politics.
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Regent race
-4
The profile of Omaha business
man and regent candidate Drew
Miller (Sept. 28, 1994) was a
classic example of how politicians
speak out of both sides of their
mouths. Mr. Miller first said that he
would encourage the university to
adopt techniques that would help
cut administrative costs.
On the other hand, he supports
the creation of a separate college of
engineering at UNL, which will
undoubtedly increase the adminis
trative costs he so wants to reduce.
It is amazing how such a reversal
can occur in a few short para
graphs!
We need regents concerned with
providing quality, affordable
education at the University of
Nebraska, not ones interested in
picking up trophies for their home
districts.
Marc Schulte
senior
civil engineering
Homecoming
royalty
In 1751, Benjamin Franklin
complained that the proportion of
the world’s “purely white People”
was too small, and expressed the
wish that “their numbers were
increased.” By clearing America of
woods, Franklin hoped to “reflect a
brighter light to the eyes of inhabit
ants in Mars or Venus,” and
questioned “why should we in the
sight of superior beings darken its
people? Why increase the sons of
Africa by planting them in
America, where we have so fair and
opportunity, by excluding all blacks
and tawneys, of increasing the
lovely white and red.” (“Four
Papers of Benjamin Franklin,” L.
Labaree, ed. (1959).)
I paraphrase the quote from
Franklin as an illustration of what
little has changed since 1751 in the
minds of the American majority. In
rebuttal to the criticism of whether
there was a clear bias in the
homecoming royalty committee to
exlude non-greeks, off campus
students and minorities, James
Griesen, vice chancellor for student
affairs, responded that he felt the
two students probably were disap
pointed they hadn’t made the cut.
How in one breath can someone
of the esteemed position of vice
chancellor for all student affairs
WF -iNEV
Brat Qottschall/DN
trivialie a criticism that is obviously
based in fact, not the wandering
paronoia of two bitter minorities,
which was implied by his state
ment. His choice of words, “prob
ably a matter of dissapointment”
suggests he doesn't know, and that
as vice chancellor, he needs to find
out if the acquisations are ground
less.
One only needs to look at the
statistical breakdown of the
nominees to see that the commitee
was biased, exclusive instead of
inclusive, and willfully ignorant of
the diversity of this campus and the
world. Ben Franklin was brutal but
honest in his stating the fear of
much of America’s majority that to
include the world’s people of color
is to shine the light on the flaws of
their own race and to diminish it to
the extent that they will no longer
be seen by the world at large as
superior, but ordinary and petty at
worst.
As a graduate student who is
working on her thesis, I have had
the opportunity to read volumes of
research materials on everything
from evolution to global economics
— most of which nas been written
by members of the American
majority and much of it having
been written by the male gender of
the American majority. Suffice it to
say that I am never suiprised by the
ability of a group to tailor even the
minutest point to favor their
position and further, to employ
“diminishment” and “divide and
conquer” to bury the opposition and
discredit their argument as petty
and minuscule.
So I say to the young minority
women, off-campus students,
minority student population in
general and non-greeks that you
should not be surprised by the queer
pro quo; it is the maintenance of
the status quo that forces all of us to
take a subservient role.
Keep pushing and don't allow
the elite to win. Keep challenging,
keep speaking up and keep com
manding respect and you eventually
will succeed.
Thyra Lowe
graduate student
community regional planning
Culture war
Last Friday, Jamie Karl wrote a
column blasting UNL’s supposed
lack of ‘traditional values,’ but I
have one he forgot. The Daily
Nebraskan used to be able to hire
columnists who did not confuse
neo-Conservative with neo-Nazi.
What happened?
* I am tired of the hypocritical
half-thought cries for ‘traditional
values’ when the people crying it
selectively forget themselves. Mr.
Karl, maybe those people you
consider a ‘freak show’ are in fact
suggesting that traditional Chris
tian values like acceptance, love
and compassion should be applied
to everyone, not just members of
your little clique.
If you listened to the multitude
of voices on this campus, perhaps
you would find a multitude of
conflicts within what you thought
was the peace of your hometown. If
so, you wuld find those NOR ML
longhairs and homosexual advo
cates and multiculturalists are folks
who had to escape from small
towns to regain who they are. You
would find people like them in your
own town afraid to speak out
because they know tne ‘Christian
tolerance’ awaiting them.
If there is a ‘culture war, it is
what has formed this nation, not
some recent aberration. What you
rail against is actually a recent
understanding of the truth, and you
should avail yourself of the chance
to learn more about it. Even if you
don’t ultimately agree with them, a
traditional value you forgot to
mention is listening to others, and
you owe a person that before you
pass judgment.
Yes, tne culture war will con
tinue, but as one who has faith in
the values of the founders of the
nation, I believe truth will win from
the present Babylon of voices, and I
think ignorance will loose.
Trevor McArthur
senior
secondary education