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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 3, 1997)
X EDITOR Paula Lavigne OPINION EDITOR Jessica Kennedy f; EDITORIAL BOARD Erin Gibson Joshua Gillin Jeff Randall Julie Sobczyk Ryan Soderlin r' • - . .. ©sc? i Our VIEW Journalists need focus The media must find a happy medium After a tragic car accident Sunday claimed the life of Britain’s Princess Diana, the world is left with only images of the young aristocrat. But the capture of Diana’s beloved image by members of an ruthless band of photographers calls into question the scrutiny of the lives of public figures and officials. Diana, her companion Dodi Fayed and the chauffeur, who was reportedly intoxi cated at the time, died in Paris after their Mercedes crashed in a tunnel. The car was being pursued by six members of the French paparazzi and one Macedonian paparazzo. Diana and Dodi were not wear ing their seatbelts. in a press release issued by e-mail on Tuesday, David Lutman, president of the National Press Photographers Association, said, “In every profession, there are people who go too far - who stretch the notions of ethics and decency.... All the facts of this tragedy have yet to be revealed, but whether the accident was the direct result of the photographers’ actions or not, one . thing is clear: The marketplace has pushed some aspects of photography in the direc tion of pursuit journalism and consumers, as well as professional photographers, should be giving serious thought to the extreme nature of that appetite.” This incident is sad and unfortunate. But it wiil be a greater travesty if photo journalists everywhere suffer at the hands of these fools. Knee-jerk legislative actions further limiting a journalist’s right to cover potential news events are wrong. David Lutman is right; people in every profession and in every walk of life go too far. There already are laws in this country that define harassment and invasion of pri vacy. It is wrong to punish the majority for the wrongs of a few who have successfully regulated themselves. Lutman also brings up an important point in holding the marketplace to blame. The paparazzi photographers wouldn’t be hunting their celebrity prey if there weren’t a public hungry for a glimpse into the lives of those they adore. Paparazzi are offered these obscene amounts because publishers know the public will purchase publications with the most revealing photos. The line isn’t black and white, but com mon sense should see where media cover age and freedom of expression ends and harassment begins. And all readers, before they cast stones at those who pho tographed Diana beyond her public work, should ask themselves how many times they’ve picked up a sensational tabloid in the checkout stand to see who had his arm around the princess at dinner. <u\ tiiiinii runcy Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the Fafl 1997 Daily Nebraskan. They do no* necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nebraska-Uncoln, its employees, its student body or the Unwersity of Nebraska Board of Regents; A column is solely the opinion of its author. The Board of Regents serve as publisher of the Daily Nebraskan; policy is set by the Daily fkraskan Editorial Board. The UM_ Publications Board, established bv the regents, supervises the 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 student employees. Loner Policy The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to the editor and guest columns, but does not guarantee their publication. The Daly Nebraskan retains the right to edit or reject any material submitted. Submitted material becomes property of Nebraskan and cannot be Anonymous submissions will not be published. Those who submit letters must identify IhemsetoBs by name, year in school, major and/or group affiliation, if any. Submit material to: Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R a Lincoln, NE. 68588-0448. E-mail: letters@unlinfo.unl.edu. Haney’s VIEW 1 • • . • 1, V ; ; vr' ■ ■ | ' - ■ l all about cash SHERRI JOYNER is a senior English and Greek major and a Daily Nebraskan columnist. Here’s the deal: The University of Nebraska-Lincoln pockets $24 million, and for the next 12 yearn if I want to buy a soft drink on campus it has to be a Pepsi product. Of course, Coke is upset. But 1 could care less about Coca-Cola’s quarter ly profits, and the two colas taste the same to me anyway. Besides, $24 million is $24 million, and pop is just pop. So why get upset? The UNL-Pepsi deal is another reminder that this is the Age of Advertising and the Reign of the Multinational Corporation. A time where world order - once con trolled by nation-states - is being run by MNCs. Citizens have been replaced with consumers, and excellence in education means rais ing a crop of obedient drones eager to serve corporate interests. Freedom means being able to chose i between Coke or Pepsi. I buy, therefore, I exist. Certainly, the Pepsi-owned machines now on campus are newer and shinier than the relics once used by Vending Services. They are also covered with meticulously researched images, designed to get people to buy more Pepsi products. For $2 million a year, I might squelch my preference for visual space that’s free of advertising; but I can’t help wondering, “ What’s coming next?” When the $24 mil lion is spent, what new university corporation alliance will be forged? •• “Nebraskans give the term pop culture’a new meaning.” Chancellor Moeser’s excuse for the deal is that it’s “time to maxi mize our ability to leverage a part nership in the private sector to aug ment state support.” In other words? the state won’t give us all the njpney we want, so we’ll sell out to big business for some extra bucks. OK, but instead of downplaying this example of creative financing, the university seems to be courting a what’s-good-for-Pepsi-is-good for-UNL mentality. They’re not calling it a “deal,” it’s an “alliance.” They’re throwing a big party on Sept. 18 to celebrate the “alliance.” University bigwigs will network with Pepsi bigwigs, and Pepsi is going to throw a bunch of free stuff at the rest of us in order to bribe Coke loyalists into complacency. Of course, nobody is being forced to join the ranks of Generation Next by wasting their - laundry money on the Pepsi machines, but advertising works. Why else, at a time when most of us can take practically free, rela tively safe and abundant (kinking water for granted, do Americans spend more money at the grocery store on soft drinks than on any other item? This consumption defies logic; if you want the caf feine, coffee or tea is usually less expensive. If you want flavor, juice is more healthful. And from a healthful standpoint, everyone knows the stuff is evil. It rots your teeth. Where tooth decay was once rare among groups who depended upon a traditional, vegetable-based diet, it is now universal thanks largely to the soft drink companies’ * zealous commitment to global pro motion of their product. It’s not the university’s responsi bility to monitor our diets; we’re suppqsed to be a community of adults, free to make our own food choices. But if, as Vice Chancellor Melvin Jones stated in the June press release hyping the Pepsi deal, that “students are our most cher ished asset,” why not try to make healthful food choices more avail able and affordable on campus? Give people an alternative to fast food and vending-machine prod ucts besides over-priced juices and stale bagels. Of course, there would be no profit in it! Appeals to good nutri tion are based on logic and are no maich for the images of hip, young soft drink consumers that pervade the media. The old UNL Vending Services was a relatively informal way to give people what they want and make a little money on the side. The new “Pepsi Alliance,” however, raises the university’s endorsement of a bad habit to a higher level. The university is boasting about the size of the $24 million deal: “by far the biggest offered,” “one of the largest campus alliances of its kind.” The Pepsi CEO calls UNL a “crown jewel .” Of course, UNL is a crown jewel. This is Nebraska. The word “pop” is the state mantra. It grates the ears of newcomers to the region: “pop ... pop ... pop.” It’s not just that the rest of the country calls the stuff “soda,” or- because the heavily-aspirated Midwestern “p” gives the word an annoying emphasis, but it’s the prevalence of the word as well as the product. Nebraskans give the term “pop cul ture” a new meaning. Now, not only has the university discovered that there are big bucks to be made from a culture based on bad nutrition, it’s going to celebrate this fact as well.