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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 27, 1982)
opinion Battalion/Page 2 July 27,1982 By Jim Earie I Woes of a poor, broke student “Look at it this way: you are an eyewitness to history in the making. It may never be this hot this long ever again, and you can say that you were there. ” Invasion of privacy classroom lessons by Art Buchwald “All right class, Journalism 105 will come to order. Today we will deal with invasion of privacy, which is one of the most im portant lessons you will have to learn if you wish to succeed in your profession. First, why should the media invade some one’s privacy?” “Because everybody likes to read ab out it, or see it on TV.” “I can see where you would arrive at that answer, but it is not necessarily the correct one. We invade someone’s priva cy because their conduct may affect the public good. Does anyone have any ex amples where the press has contributed to the people’s right to know?” “I do, sir. When Elizabeth Taylor sepa rated from John Warner.” “That’s a good example. Why was this an important story?” “Because John Warner was a United States senator, and Taylor’s departure could have affected Warner’s perform ance as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.” “Correct. If Taylor had separated from singer Eddie Fisher to marry actor Richard Burton, would it have been a news story?” “No, sir. That would be considered gossip and no one would want to read about it.” “Fine. Now let us take the case of Sophia Loren, who went to jail in Naples for not paying her taxes. Why was this newsworthy?” “It showed the Italian people that no one was above the law.” “Then the idea of Loren, one of the most beautiful women in the world, going tojail was not a news story in itself.” “No, sir. It only became a public matter when her taxes were involved.” “Now let’s deal with a hypothetical case. Someone is giving a lavish party to honor Jackie Onassis. The hostess announces that the press will not be “Suppose I’m working in TV and I’m ordered to stake out the house of some one who has just been indicted for a big white-collar crime. What do I do if he refuses to be interviewed on television?” “You turn off you cameras and report to your producer that the person did not want to be questioned.” “Shouldn’t I film his neighbors and his wife?” “That would not be cricket, as people who are not directly involved tend to ex aggerate and make things up.” “Professor, have you ever worked on a newspaper or for television?” “I can’t say that I have. I much prefer to teach journalism so I can prepare stu dents for when they go out into the real world.” The Battalion Letters Policy USPS 045 360 Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference Editor Diana Sultenfuss City Editor BernieFette Sports Editor Frank L. Christlieb News Editors Tracey Buchanan, Daniel Puckett Diane Yount Staff Writers Cyndy Davis, Susan Dittman, Terry Duran, Colette Hutchings, Hope E. Paasch, Joe Tindel Jr., Rebeca Zimmermann Copy Editors Gary Barker, Carol Templin Cartoonist Scott McCullar Photographers .... David Fisher, Octavio Garcia John Ryan, The Battalion is published three times a week — Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday — during Texas A&M’s summer semesters, except for holiday and ex amination periods, when it is published only on Wednes days. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester, $33.25 per school year and $35 per full year. Advertising rates furnished on request. Our address: The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald Building, Texas A&M University, College Stadon, TX 77843. Letters to the Editor should not exceed 300 words in length, and are subject to being cut if they are longer. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit letters for style and length, but will make every effort to maintain the author’s intent. Each letter must also be signed, show the address and phone number of the writer. Columns and guest editorials are also welcome, and are not subject to the same length constraints as letters. Address all inquiries and correspondence to: Editor, The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M Uni versity, College Stadon, TX 77843, or phone (713) 845- 2611. Editorial Policy The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting news paper operated as a community service to Texas A&M University and Bryan-College Station. Opinions ex pressed in The Battalion are those of the editor or the author, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Texas A&M University administrators or faculty mem bers, or of the Board of Regents. The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper for students in reporting, editing and photography clas ses within the Department of Communications. Questions or comments concerning any editorial mat ter should be directed to the editor. United Press Internadonal is entitled exclusively to the use for reproducdon of all news dispatches credited to it. Rights of reproducdon of all other matter herein reserved. Second class postage paid at College Stadon, TX 77843. Have you ever been awakened with that queasy feeling in your stomach and throbbing pain behind your eyebrows that only comes from one kind of condi tion? No, I’m not talking about a hangov er. I’m talking about that other monster that seems to be on the loose lately in Aggieland: being broke. The impression I’ve gotten from talk ing to people around campus lately is that it is a contagious disease that doesn’t get better with time. And it can’t be cured by the perennial cure-all of “take two aspirin and call me Monday.” Let’s face it — with most illnesses you can drink lots of juices and get plenty of bed rest. That will at least help you a little. If you do that with pocketbookus-flattus (the technical name for broke), the condi tion will only get worse. Sojust what is the cure for this not so rare and frequently fatal illness? Some say that hard work and sweat are the answers. I know nearly 1,000 farmers who would laugh in your face for that comment. Others say that you can open your own business and get on the road to financial freedom at an early age. Try to do that, do justice to a full load at school and come talk to me about it if you suc ceed. I want to buy the formula from you. But for theory’s sake, let’s say the stu dent has found a way to make money, to be happy at it while not pulling a 1.305 arent for his GPR. Then, everybody just seems to be waiting in line to take it from him. In my case, American Express is beating down the door to collect. But let’s be honest — probably about 95 percent of it is our own fault. You know how it goes. It seems every time you get your hands on some money you have to spend it on some necessity of survival. Say for instance, rent, beer, electricity, beer, food, beer, steak and more beer. And then there are those other critical expenses like money to spend the weekend in New Braunfels. I guess you could just try to never leave the house while your dividend checks from some long forgotten stock acquisi tion just roll in. That seems to be the only way to avoid parting with your hard- earned money at Warp factor 2. But then thinking about it, 1 can just seethe hermit reaching out of the closetk day to get a pizza for nourishment, think, after a month you’ve oniysj $390.40 (that’s a month worth of one item pizzas with a Pepsi—t mind you). So, we’ve decided that sweat, el reneurism and laziness answers. There’s always one last solution, the student loan. Thatisifi think you’re in pathetic enough shi| receive one. Usually by that time,yi already filled out your application! Foreign Legion. The poor old middle class family does have a hard time getting oi those loans. They usually make enough to have that one-and-a- televisions, pay their bills and live semi-roach-proof house. But in of student loaners, that’s just too mi get a little help. If I did get one I’d probably blow it all on somet my camera. Oh well, I guess all us broke studi will just have to endure the hart that befall us. I think they haveatli Bennigan’s from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. least make you not care about broke for a while. But, come to think about it thereisi sure-fire solution to the problemofi penniless student. GRADUATE, become an even poorer real-world thtj allowed to cover it. What do you do?” “You try to crash it?” “What a beastly idea, Waters. The ethical thing to do is to stand on the side walk and hope that someone leaving the party will talk to you. If this doesn’t work, you go back to your editor and tell him you can’t write anything about the party.” “Won’t he get mad at me?” “He may for the moment. But in the long run, he’ll respect you for not going to a party where you were not invited.” “Professor, suppose I have a hot story and the guy I’m after won’t talk to me on the phone. Do I climb into his window and try to catch him unawares?” “You do not. A man’s home is his cas tle, and if he doesn’t want to talk about his troubles you owe him a ‘No comment.’” “I have a question, sir. I’m planning to go into photography. Suppose I see Bo Derek topless on the beach, and I have a telephoto lens. Do I shoot the picture?” “No. That would be invading her pri vacy. What you should do is shout to her that you have film in your camera, and ask her to cover herself up so you won’t embarrass her.” ra He 1953 ! , Tht Tamb iusine: iusine: Thursd :30 to ng the The .he B-( i. Wasl A F 'ho de nobler Letter: Middle East terrorism ,eroy B; 'Ureau; Care Se Sears an ene Mo Mike C; Editor: My letter concerns the views recently expressed by Mr. Nabil Al-Khowaiter and Mr. Marc Rogers on the issue of ter rorism in the Middle East. Mr. Al- Khowaiter contends that the desire to re gain their homeland has led Palestinians to resort to terrorism, a method used by Irgun Zvai Leumi group of Menachem Begin in the forties to make a Jewish homeland in the region of Palestine. Mr. Rogers, however, suggests that the Irgun’s form of terrorism was not as bad as more recent PLO terrorism because they were considerate about the fate of the victims. Terrorism aimed at innocent people is a heinous crime toward all mankind. It is meaningless to pick and choose between various forms of terrorism and condone one over the other. The particular inci dent under discussion is the bombing of the King David hotel by Irgun. The fact still remains that a lot of innocent lives were lost in the bombing regardless of the motive and mode of the action. Mr. Rogers quotes “facts” from the Be- gin’s book about how carefully the King David hotel bombing operation was car ried out. Shouldn’t one seek a more objec tive source for facts rather that settling for Irgun’s version. It is like going to Moscow to get facts on Afghanistan or Poland. It is well recorded that the Irgun led by Begin along with Stern’a Gank caused widespread havoc and loss of many innocent Palestinian lives, long be fore the birth of the PLO. The King David hotel bombing was not the worst. For example, in one of the first Zionist terrorism acts in Palestine, they mas sacred 254 inocent women, children and old men in a small village of DVIER Yas sin on April 9, 1948 and then dumped their bodies into a well. Let me quote a sample of Irgun’s operation in Dier Yas sin from a book by Alfred Lilianthal (The Zionist Connection: What price peace?): “... the daughter of one of the princip al families of DVIER Yassin declared that she saw “a man shot a bullet in the neck of my sister, Salhiyeh, who was nine months pregnant. Then he cut her stomach open with a butcher’s knife.’ Another woman was killed when she tried to extricate the unborn infant from the dead mother’s womb ...” The emotions are always at peak levels in the Middle East and loss of innocent lives is continuing. Recently, an esti mated 14,000 Palestinian and Lebanese civilians have died as a result of Israeli military action against PLO in Lebanon, in which they have used such catas trophic weapons as cluster bombs. Vio lence begets only violence. One must con demn all types of terrorism whether com mitted by PLO guerrilla or by the military of Israel. Lastly, I get the impression that)! Rogers wants Mr. Al-Khowaiter toi ! stain from expressing his views ini Reader’s Forum unless he wishes to inn Mr. Roger’s rebuttals. The purposef the Forum is to promote open rather than put a lid on it. As far as us of the Forum by other students is cerned, the decision should be left toll editor. V.0U1 Olds W.E.K, Wa Oceanography Depart® mg ( cm Berry’s World by Jim Berry ©1982 by NEA, Inc. 'M ‘I’ll have whatever ‘The Thing, ’ here is havin’!