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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 29, 1999)
Ride-alongs The Supreme Court hears down on media coverage 1 I III J MATT PETERSON is a senior English and news editorial major and a Daily Nebraskan colum nist. Whatcha’ gonna’ do when the U.S. Supreme Court comes for you? This is the question currently con cerning the news media as two cases questioning the constitutionality of media accompaniment on police searches are being considered by the highest court in the land. Both cases were filed by private individuals against the law enforce ment officers who allowed the media to ride along. Thus, the media is not directly involved in either case, and the con stitutionality issue has become a dubious debate over privacy and Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable police searches. However, it is the First Amendment that will truly be com promised by a Supreme Court ruling against the ride-along. And consider ing the court’s skepticism toward the validity of this practice - only Chief Justice William Rehnquist seems hes itant to ban ride-alongs - such a rul ing would seem only a matter of time. Justice David Souter has referred to the ride-along as nothing more than “fluff,” and Justice Antonin Scalia remarked that the practice served no purpose “besides P.R.” Popular skepticism toward such media accompaniment is understand able considering the extremes to which the practice has been taken by the broadcast media. Most people associate the ride along to such television programs as “COPS” and a host of “World’s Scariest/Wildest” video specials, but the news media has a considerably more legitimate stake in this matter than even the FOX network. This issue represents the first time in several years that the Supreme Court has scrutinized the practices of the news media. And considering the dubious public regard garnered by the media in recent years, there’s no telling where this scrutiny might end. For years, the news media have enjoyed largely unqualified access to every other legal venue and have pro vided a valuable civil service by bringing the public along for the ride. When laws are established by government, the media is there. When the law is interpreted and judgment is handed down by the courts, the media is there (although cameras are currently prohibited from many courts, the Sunshine in the Courtroom Act currently before Congress would resolve this final qualification). And when criminals are punished and rehabilitated by the nation’s penal system, the media are there. In order to continue serving the public’s interest, the media must maintain a working relationship with the middleman of the legal system: law enforcement. Averting the gaze of the media - even slightly -compro mises their ability to serve as a watchdog, ensuring public supervi sion of law enforcement and deter ring police misconduct. Lawyers hired by enforcement agencies to argue the case for ride alongs have, as expected, avoided any discussion of the media as watchdog; instead they have established their defense on the premise that media coverage deters crime and builds public confidence in law enforce ment. I suspect that programs such as “COPS” inspire more crimes than they deter by granting crime and domestic disputes an audience. What’s more, the officers featured by these shows display a sort of lime light machismo that rarely inspires my confidence. The extremes to which such pro grams have gone in the name of entertainment should not dictate an extreme judgment by the Supreme Court in the name of privacy. Indeed, rather than setting a momentous constitutional precedent, establishing a compromise between the First and Fourth Amendments, the Supreme Court is reducing this to a debate over privacy rights. Said Justice Sandra Day O’Connor: “There is a very weighty interest on the part of homeowners to have privacy in their home.” And the government lawyers hired to defend the enforcement agencies in question have willingly conceded this diluted - and deluded - definition. One of the lawyers report edly admitted that he would be satis fied with a ruling, known as the cur tilage, that would keep the media out side homes to avoid infringing on pri vacy rights. The right to privacy is a matter of interpretation not even alluded to in the Constitution. The Supreme Court cannot back down from the fact that this issue involves constitutional implications in both the First and Fourth Amendments. What’s more, the press cannot allow government entities to argue amongst themselves over what is unequivocally a media interest, or there is no telling where this infringe ment might end. If television programs such as “COPS” must be preempted, so be it, but privacy rights preempting press freedom is unacceptable. Gripe Monday UNL plagued by ‘The Man,’parking fascism and idiocy m.mwm^ m_ TODD MUNSON is a senior broadcasting major and a Daily Nebraskan columnist. Y’all remember that show “Punky Brewster?” Think hard. It’s not like Soleil Moon Frye was a flash in the pan or anything. Heck, now that I think about it, the only things I remember about Punky Brewster was the episode where “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler taught her to box, and the one where she was deported from the loving care of that old man and sent to an orphan age. I also remember at the orphanage she got to spout out all her 12 year old woes during a thing called Gripe Night. I am going to declare todav Grine Monday. Reading about someone’s moan ings and pissings isn’t exactly a good way to start the week, but like the doctor told me in third grade when I went to the emergency room with half a bologna sandwich stuck in my nose, “We gotta do this, there ain’t no way around it.” He also promised it wouldn’t hurt. Factoid: Anytime pointy forceps of more than 12 inches in length are used in any procedure, it will hurt. Anyway, enough bologna, it’s time for me to get a little serious, as in Yahoo. He’s on the comeback trail you know. In my half decade here at Dear 01’ Nebraska U., I’ve compiled a list of a few things I don’t exactly agree with and/or like. Back to the bologna for a second. It’s the most recent addition to the list. A few paragraphs ago, I men tioned I had a bologna sandwich up my nose, in third grade. This isn’t true. I got the idea from a “Dennis the Menace” comic I read in the third grade, and thought it seemed funny. I will let you know that in the sixth grade I could squeeze a whole banana into my mouth, so don’t lose faith in me, I’m still an extreme dude, yo. Last month, I wrote some baloney, like I usually do, and it caused quite the ruckus, affect ing many people. This hap pened because a few high and not so high ranking peo ple thought what I wrote was the literal true word. Factoid: These are the opinion pages. Stuff on this page isn’t necessarily true. It doesn’t have to be. If you want facts, read the other pages. Because of the rationale of “if it’s in print, it must be true,” I got myself and few dozen people in a dilly of a pickle. Which leads to my next concern, if we’re all students at the same uni versity, why do different groups of students follow different rules? If you re a greek and get in trou ble, you answer to greek affairs. If you’re an athlete, the Athletic Department can hang you up by your jock strap. And if you’re Joe Student, The Man will find you when it’s time to step into the wringer. And it’s a time like this that I wish I would have studied in high school so I could’ve been accepted anywhere else but here. Since the situation is still rather touchy, I will let you know The Man softened up his stance and all is well. However, the policy of punish first then ask questions isn’t cool. The pol icy is reverse due process at it’s finest. Well, this policy has me soured enough on The Man’s building i (rhymes with Wreck Senter) that when I become a rich and upstanding 1 alumnus like Lawrence Phillips, I’m ] going to laugh and then give their share of my excess wealth to the KepuDiican Farty. Then there’s the concept of racism and homophobia existing on campus. I will be the first to say college makes a person darn smart. And it should be apparent to any breathing student here that racism and homophobia are ideas of stupid people. As those guys in Sigma Chi, “Duh, gee a cross burn ing is our heritage.” Speaking of greek students, I’m of the notion that they get a bad rap a little too often. No, I’m not on dope, but I’ve met enough great people in the greek system to know that they’re stereotyped by the bad apples in the group. Hey bad apples, play nice and think before r you do stupid things and maybe ^ your group will lose its bad rep ^k utation. 'ft. and Trolls” powerhouse. I better shut up before some computer science hack erases my identity. About the master mind behind the honors push, Chancellor Moeser is a bit of a tool. I’ve never met the guy. I did see him once though, and Shawn ballarin/DN About the name greek system, in the age of sensitivity, it’s time to change it. What the hell does the Greek culture have to do with stu dents living in houses? If I were of Greek decent, it would bum me out that folks refer to themselves as being Greek without actually being Greek. By that logic, I could be Canadian if I formed the right club. Come up with a more appropriate name, eh? Student-wise honors students are dorks. But not the honors students that I know, because they have social skills and get outside on a regular basis. I like the concept of an honors dorm, though. It will be a good way k to ensure the regular students don’t It get stuck with having a dorky H neighbor. Also, with all that nerd : ' power locked in one building, I envision UNL becoming a “Tunnels j|i|| he confirmed my thoughts. If H|? UNL is to become a great school mjf for the next millennium, I say m* dump the guy who plays with his gjjr organ and bring in someone who W would pity the fools who go here - | Mr. T. It’s time to oust the turkey * with the reverse-mohawk and bring in the real deal with the bad-ass do. That alone would make me want to earn a doctorate. , Then there’s parking. I ’ve never | had the pleasure of buying a permit, ' but I have gotten enough tickets to believe that in the grand scope of the universe, parking at UNL is pretty low on the list. By being so protective of a few square feet of parking, UNL is bordering on fascism. For justification or the billion dol lar increase on parking permits, the administration pointed to what our peer institutions are doing. They always do this, and I hate it. If Kansas State jumped off a bridge, would the administration make us do the same? As the No-Fear T-shirt I saw at Goodwill says, “Unless you’re the lead dog, the view never changes.” Woof. Finally, speaking of change, spring is here and soon people will be out doing stuff, but not as a university collective. The only time all the diverse student groups get together is Big Red Welcome, then for the rest of the year, there isn’t an activity that brings everyone together and I don’t like it. Grrr.