The future of journalism
(Re: “Bleeding ink,” cover story, Oct. 28.) Mr. Accomazzo’s article on the uncertain future of CU’s J-School brings up the fundamental question about the role of journalism in society. I think it has been and always will be about telling the people the truth and letting the chips fall where they may. Today, however, the commoditization of everything ranging from politics to education has made it so that the pursuit of fact often falls prey to the pursuit of profits (or at least maintaining an operational budget).
It’s a reality we’ve more or less become used to over the past 60 or so years, but we are not immune to the corrosive effect this has upon civil discourse. Journalism has become a joke in the eyes of many who would assume our attention spans are too short and our ignorance too smug. People, however, still want to know what’s happening around them, and the changing nature of our media landscape certainly warrants revisiting existing college curriculum.
The loss of the student paper at CU, however, reeks of the over-politicization of what is supposed to function as a laboratory for ideas; controversy is stoked at every turn no matter what we do and the proper response in this case would have been to apologize for offending and then moving on.
I hope that dismantling the J-School doesn’t become another move that instills caution amongst those who dare to speak against conventional wisdom. Journalism is vital not only to protecting our freedom of expression, but also our freedom from authoritative thinking. This “discontinuance” ought to be used as an opportunity to expand the virtues of objectivity, critical analysis, and clear communication to all students, especially since citizen-journalism looks to become a more integral part of our future. But I’ll leave those details for the faculty to sort out.
Mikyle Jivan Lockwood, CU graduate/via Internet
You should be ashamed
(Re: “Tyler
Clementi died for your sins,” Uncensored, Oct. 7.) I came across your
article as I was looking for information to write a paper about Mr.
Clementi and the awful things people did to him. I was shocked by your
title for the story! I understand this is an editorial piece, but your
blasphemy was highly unnecessary and offensive! This boy was a victim of
cruelty to be sure, but you have just alienated readers who believe in
Jesus as Christ with that shameful title. Many of us in the Evangelical
community care deeply for children who are being bullied and abused
whether they are gay or straight, so to compare him with Jesus is
insulting. You say people should be ashamed for participating in Tyler’s
mockery, but you, ma’am, should be ashamed of yourself to make such a
remark. I will certainly be avoiding your further articles and all
publications from Boulder Weekly.
Jamie Foster/via Internet
Sliding toward fascism
Students of political
history know that fascism is the joining together of government and
industry. Benito Mussolini started the fascist party in 1919 in Italy,
and it ended when he was shot then hanged in 1945. Glen Beck recently
called President Obama a fascist but, to be fair, he balanced it out by
also calling him a communist.
In January 2010, the
United States Supreme Court, by a 5 to 4 vote, ruled that corporations
using their right of free speech could spend an unlimited amount of
money to support or denigrate political candidates, and in their
eagerness to rule, the right leaning judges left a loophole that also
allowed anonymity. Not surprisingly, in this election cycle roughly 10
times the amount of corporate money is spent to favor
conservatives/corporatists as is spent on liberals, who would be more
likely to pass laws regulating unfair, unlawful or dangerous business
practices. I would never call a conservative a fascist, but I question
whether they can stop short of where they are heading. Somebody reassure
me!
Tom Lopez/Longmont
Diversity brings divisiveness
The
United States is an English speaking country, not a bilingual or
multi-lingual speaking country. Our government conducts all business in
English. Our military communicates only in English. Can you envision
military commanders giving commands to attack in numerous languages?
U.S. businesses typically communicate in English. One of the many
strengths of this country is its outstanding communications system.
All
roadside signs, instructions, business correspondence, school classes,
and general communications should be in English, with no references to
any foreign languages. Immigrants have to learn English, and our
children have to be proficient in English.
It
can be beneficial for people to be fluent in a second language such as
Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, etc. Our country needs expertise in foreign
languages, but this should be subservient to fluency in English. U.S.
citizens who cannot speak and write English as a primary language are
probably placing themselves at a disadvantage on the ladder to success
in this country.
We
should not promote language diversity, because it will lead to
divisiveness, the same type of divisiveness we see in numerous foreign
countries.
Donald A. Moskowitz/Londonderry, NH
Our No. 1 health problem
The recent
withdrawal of the diet drug Meridia marks the latest setback in a long
and frustrating quest for a pharmaceutical solution to our national
obesity epidemic. Despite millions of dollars spent by drug companies,
none of the handful of diet drugs on the market is considered very
effective. This is most unfortunate, for obesity has become the number
one public health problem for our community and our nation, affecting
one-third of our population. It’s a precursor to heart disease,
stroke, cancer, diabetes and other chronic illnesses that account for
more than a million premature deaths each year. Leading causes of
obesity are consumption of fat-laden meat and dairy products and
inadequate exercise. This is particularly critical during childhood
years, when lifestyle habits become life- long addictions. The failure
of the drug industry to come up with a dietary silver bullet places
added emphasis on the diet/exercise solution. The time has come to
replace meat and dairy products in our diet with wholesome grains,
vegetables and fruits and to undertake a regular exercise pro- gram.
Parents should insist that their schools introduce wholesome school
lunch choices and should set a good example at their own dinner table.
Stanley Silver/via Internet
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