Page 4brThe Battalion/Friday, September 6,1985
Prison newspaper
journalists tackle
unique problems
Associated Press
Chow Line
Photo by MIKE SANCHEZ
Students wait in line for dinner at the Memorial Student Center cafe
teria. The cafeteria serves breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a
week. Students, if they wish to do so, may use the point plan to pay for
their meals at the MSC.
Arlington polishes its corporate image
Associated Press
ARLINGTON — The city of Ar
lington can now boast of a glossy an
nual report to rival those published
by major corporations and busi
nesses.
In step with City Manager Bill
Kirchhoffs aim to portray the city as
the municipal equivalent of IBM or
Nissan, the Arlington government
recently compiled its first “annual
report.”
Printed on heavy white paper and
including three-color charts and pic
tures highlighting photogenic staff
ers, the $14,500 publication often
mirrors a business report.
On page one, for example, of
“Performance Report: Corporate
City Arlington,” there is a message
from the manager with a photo of
Kirchhoff in a conservative gray suit,
white shirt and tie. Even the booklet
refers to him as the chief executive
officer he resembles.
“The Arlington city government
is structured and operated like a pri-
Kirchhoffs mes-
vate corporation,
sage reads.
“We make no apologies for that,”
he later said. “We are running the
city like a business.”
In the 20-page report, residents
are referred to as stockholders and
the City Council is called Arlington’s
board of directors.
Earlier this year, city spokeswo
man Barbara Burke instructed some
council members how to look their
best at televised meetings. Her mes
sage: look corporate.
“What w6’re trying to do is get
away from a good of boy image —
not that we were ever that way, but
we want to show we have a corporate
type of government,” said Gene
Randall, who heads the public infor
mation office.
“Dallas does it; many cities have
these kinds of publications. They’re
not novel,” Kirchhoff said. “What
we’re saying is that the city govern
ment is well-run and managed prop
erly.”
STILLWATER, Minn. — The
Mirror’s editorial staff is an unlikely
crew. It consists of two murderers, a
thief, and a man convicted of as
saulting a police officer.
As editors of the oldest contin
uously published prison newspaper
in the nation, the four inmates at
Stillwater frison say they have an
important mission.
“We’re the only biweekly prison
newspaper in the county,” says edi
tor Robert Taliaferro, 30, who is
serving a life sentence for murder.
“It’s hard to do in a closed environ
ment like we have here. We don’t
have fires to cover.”
While they may not have fires,
prisons do have disturbances —news
events that can be difficult to cover
when confined to a prison cell, said
Eldon Rodney Anderson, an asso
ciate editor serving a two-year sen
tence for theft.
The history of The Mirror has
been colorful. Three members of
Jesse James’ gang — James, Cole
man and Robert Younger — were
among the founders of the paper.
The first issue, dated Aug. 10, 1887,
went to about 400 people inside the
prison.
As journalists. The Mirror’s edi
tors face problems unknown to their
counterparts on the outside.
All their stories must be approved
by a prison censor, Taliaferro said,
but that has not stopped the paper
from tackling stories it thinks are im
portant.
“They (the administration) frown
on covering the negative aspects, but
if it’s negative and we feel it should
be covered, we’ll write about it,” he
said.
Staff members frequently are the
target of resentment and distrust by
other prison inmates — often be
cause of their relationships with
prison officials, said Robert Morgan,
30, an associate editor who is serving
a life sentence for first-degree mur
der.
“It’s a jealousy thing," Morgan
said. “If you’ve got more (privileges)
than they’ve got, you’ve (had to
have) done something wrong.”
Morgan said that he does not let
the problem stand in thewayofl
job. “W'e’re here to report, to il
clare, to share, to let people k®|
what’s going on in here, ’ he said,
Rick TucKer, The Mirror's spo
editor, says covering athletics alio
him to put his love of sports toust l
former amateur boxer, the31vta
old Tucker is working onaseriti]
articles on physical conditioning!!
says will lx* useful to fellow inmatel
“We’re important to everytml
here," says Tucker, who alsoactsaf
staff photographer.
News media outside the pnsj
tend to ignore significant issuesfi
ing prisoners, focusing only on t
fies that paint a bad picture, Aniil
son said.
“Most of the oustide storiesiij
ten about prisons are negativehel
line makers,” said Anderson, S
“We try to purge that (imagtil
small ways.”
The Mirror d<»esn’t shy awayfnl
controversy.
“Staff members — several tml
— have disagreed with ouraitida
Taliaferro said. “I love it. Ifwq
spark that kind of reaction, weta|
we’re getting read. That’s g
us. We’re doing something thatgtj
pie are reading, that we onf
proud of .’
The Mirror got its office aftel
1983 disturbance forced prisonti
cials to divide a large cell blockiml
smaller size, so fewer men woukli
together. The result is a tiny.dj
tered editorial office.
Although their crimes andtJ
may have oeen highly publicizdl
editors say their work Whind ptij
walls goes virtually unnoticed.Cn
lation of the 16-page tabloid sui
at close to 1,000 inside the pnJ
with another 1,500 papers difli
uted outside, Taliaferro said.
Printing and photography til
for the paper are both donenal
the prison, Taliaferro said.
Anderson, who earned a minotj
journalism in a Milwaukec-in
trade school, said he is workintj
ward a full degree through al
versity of Minnesota programniil
the prison. Taliaferro is alsownl
ing toward a college degree.
fiookstone
IN THE MEMORIAL STUDENT CENTER
Texas A&M
Bookstore
will be open
Sunday,
Sept. 8
1:00-5:00 p.m.
To serve your
textbook
and
supply
845-8681
OFFICIAL NOTICE TO TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
In the past, certain Information has been made public by Texas A&M University
as a service to students, families, and other Interested Individuals.
Under the "Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974", the following
directory Information may be made public unless the student desires to wlthold
any or all of this information.
Student's name, address (local and permanent), telephone
listing, date and place of birth, sex, nationality, race,
major, classification, dates of attendance, class schedule,
degrees awarded, awards or honors, class standing, previous
institution or educational agency attended by the student,
parent's name and address, sports participation, weight and
height of athletic team members, parking permit information,
and photograph.
Any student wishing to withhold any or all of this information should fill out,
in person, the appropriate form, available to all students at the Registrar's
Office, no later than 5 p.m. Friday, September 20, 1985.
R. A. Lacey
Registrar
■Heart and Proxy-
<^7lnniversary'Eveqt
Proxy, a new line of fine quality leather shoes
by Palizzio will be introduced in our store
Saturday, Sept. 7 1-4 pm.
With each pair of Proxy Shoes
j viy purchased Saturday, receive a
FREE STERLING . |
SILVER HEART! -1
V
Kathy Bryan, Proxy Representative will also preview styles
and colors for Spring - Summer 1986.
pi<
foi
HON
across a
nibbling
geons o
very bes
the fines
Hard I
geons is
ment.
The n
a lesser
rows, ha
years, t<
land or
wanderi
dos thn
They ar
they’re i(
the
worked
brains tl
meal off
fin than
greener
looking
hearted
munchir
prompt!
their lu
more of
The r
plosion,
enlargin
Saito, w
forestry
the stati
and Nat
are feed
more oj
ing mor<
and ther
reduce tl
Wl
The Shoe Sioae
College Station’s Finest Shoe Store
Visa, Am. Ex., MasterCharge, Gift Certificates, Layaway
Texas Ave. at Southwest Pkwy. Parkway Square College Station 696-6976
Battalion Classified 845-2611