Opinion
Thursday, December 12, 1991
The Battalion
Page 7
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Last issue of Herald
ignals hard times
Demise of Dallas newspaper characterizes
economic recession plaguing United States
M
onday's fall of the Dallas
Times Herald continues a
disturbing trend of news
papers failing during the past 15
Srears.
Once again, another major city
could no longer support two major
newspapers in its market, and
the reason is as simple as the
bottom-line — money.
H During an economic
downturn, businesses cut
forth. th e i r promotions budget.
Since a newspaper relies
llP 0St ly on advertising rev-
• 0: <; enue, this means less money
Bar the media.
1 Many analysts believe that
■ewspapers will be profitable
;win again, but the number of
us Newspapers will not increase
, butal significantly in the near
Biture.
Until the
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economy im-
||roves, more newspapers
be doomed.
The smaller papers don't
ffiave it any easier. County
and small town papers have failed or
reduced staff. The Bryan-College
Station Eagle has struggled, and yes,
even The Battalion has taken its finan-
dal lumps.
I Of course, the
Iperald's demise
nasm reV olves around
more complex
mctors such as its
switch from an
afternoon to
morning paper
and competition
-from the Dallas
-Morning News
and other elec-
tronic media.
I Nevertheless,
ikC the people of
Dallas lost more
tfian a quality
major newspaper
— they lost a major
source.
ssljbS TP The general media is hardly a per-
ognitioN f eC j. S y S tem, but one of its strengths
rovidin- | ;)een diversity.
I When a person has several media
ognitH 1 " ou tlets competing for his or her atten
tion, the general quality of that news
I ijs much better than if there was just
Todd
Stone
Associate
Editor
Stone is a
graduate student
in business
administration;
I wnmmnvt
Tears, (oasts, hugs and handshakes as last edition
marks end of paper’s 112 years of journalism history
Front page of the last printing of the
Dallas Times Herald
information
one news source.
Some may argue that one newspa
per will have more resources and be
able to better cover its market than
two newspapers competing with
those same resources.
However, good 'ol competition
gets a reporter off his or her
butt a lot quicker than a high
salary. Although as a future
professional journalist, I still
hope to get both.
Still, the Dallas Morning
News has plenty of competi
tion from other print media.
According to the Gale
Directory of Publications &
Broadcast Media, there are 91
publications in the Dallas
area, ranging from communi
ty newspapers to professional
journals.
Further, the New York
Times, Wall Street Journal
and USA Today may take a
bite out of the Morning News
market. With other competi
tion from electronic media,
the Morning News can hard
ly relax.
But there is something significant
about direct competition.
When the Herald was around, a
direct quality
comparison could
be made. Now, it
will be tough to
compare the per
formance of the
Morning News’ to
a community
paper or a televi
sion station — too
much difference.
The biggest
tragedy of all this
is the 900 mem
bers of the Herald
staff who are now
unemployed just
before Christmas.
Unfortunately, that's business, and
during a recession, that's common.
In the end, it is the survival of the
fittest, and the Dallas Morning News
had financial health on its side.
So as Dallas says goodbye to one
of its long-standing traditions', many
wonder how much longer the news
paper decline will continue.
m
<£>IW THE FBCORQ
LJ NEWOEF^Y
Birth co?itrol class poorly presented
A&M should encourage men to attend
I recently had to attend the health center's birth
control class. It is my understanding that the
reason for having such a class is so a person can
make an intelligent decision concerning the various
methods of birth control.
When I learned I would have to attend this class in
order to receive a prescription for birth control,
I was insulted that my decision was being
questioned. However, after thinking about the
current laws and the fact that I might get some
questions answered, I thought it a good idea.
I showed up on Oct. 28 ready to learn about
birth control. At first, I was impressed that
Texas A&M had students conducting these ses
sions, since I personally find it easier to ask
questions of people near my age group con
cerning sex or health.
The first thing discussed was the process which one
must go through to obtain a prescription. The first step
was attending the class then an interview with a nurse.
It was explained that at the interview again I would be
Readers
Opinion
Q. Maldonado is
a graduate
student in
mechanical
engineering.
I wanted, which was a pap smear. My critique of the
birth control class does not stop here.
The next part of the class is a presentation of com
monly used birth control methods. My first concern is
with the level of detail given. Each method was shown
in its packaging, some were passed around, and only
one was demonstrated. It might seem ridicu
lous to many people, but there are wrong
ways to use a condom. I think the class could
definitely benefit by a presentation of each
method. This part of the presentation should
not be conducted by a person who is uncom
fortable discussing sex or the human body.
The only demonstration given was the place
ment of a diaphragm in the vagina. The per
son skipped the detail that after the
diaphragm has been placed one must make
sure it covers the cervix. There were two methods not
mentioned: the cervical cap and the recently approved
Norplant. 1 also question the message given out by the
University only requiring women to take these classes.
asked if I had any questions. Through the whole pro- The one man who attended did so as a part of a health
class he was taking, so i would conclude that his rea
sons for attending were not to make personal decisions
cess, I never was asked if I had any questions concern-
1th;
ing birth control, sex or general healt
I would like to emphasize that these sessions also
shoqld be attended by a physician who is not embar
rassed to speak about the human body, nor embar
rassed to describe, in detail, medical practices. I say
this because I did ask a question I felt that not enough
information was presented concerning sexually trans
mitted diseases. I asked which tests were done to
determine the presence of an STD. The response was
that I would be administered a medical test. It took
asking the question three times to arrive at the answer
on birth control. This message clearly states that deci
sions regarding birth control are made by the woman,
contrary to the notion that in any relationship, all mat
ters should be discussed, and decisions made jointly.
In conclusion, I fail to see how anyone cbuld make
an intelligent decision merely from attending this class
and going through the process outlined by the
University. 1 urge you to attend one of these sessions
and see if it provides a starting point for the students
of this University to learn about sex and health.
Mail Call
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■sonally #I1
Take caution when
criticizing others
❖ I am writing in response to the letter
written by Meg Gray that specifies certain
establishments as disrespectful. As a resident
of Schuhmacher Hall, I feel that singling out
my dormitory as an example of disrespectful
students was unnecessary.
If Gray wishes to prove a point about the
positive or negative attitudes directed toward
the Greeks, then she needs to cite specific
instances and circumstances without arbitrari
ly naming groups and invoking a bad image.
AdamM. Grounds '95
Student defends
opinion page
❖ Ags Against Ags Against Opinion Page.
This is in reference to Erin Fernald's letter
which appeared on the Opinion page on Dec.
6. However, it is also directed to the rest of
The Batt readers who cannot appreciate the
opinion page for what it is — a place for stu
dents to express their thoughts, no matter how
ridiculous. I suspect that is why Fernald's let
ter was allowed to be printed.
Actually, her letter was, by far, the most
entertaining one I've read in The Batt since
coming to Texas A&M. What I really loved is
how she submits her letter to be associated
with the rest of the opinions she finds so
worthless.
What Ags Against Opinion Page should
remember is that if you hate it so much, don't
read it! That is the beauty of a paper like The
Batt. If you don't like what someone else
writes, no one will force you to read it.
although no one has ever been hurt by reading
an opinion that is somewhat light-hearted or,
God forbid, liberal!
Furthermore, I do not believe that Femald
should attempt to discourage others from
expressing their "crazy, fantastical ideas,"
especially since she put her ideas in a position
to draw similar labels.
Finally, the opinion page promotes an
exchange of ideas. This is what higher learn
ing is all about. Even when the opinions might
be considered stupid by others, it still gives
the readers an opportunity to think about it. I
suppose this is the reason I wrote this.
So thanks goes out to everyone who offers
their ideas no matter how silly. You make the
opinion page the best part of The Batt, espe
cially Erin Fernald!
Tommy Anderson
graduate student
Racial slur could
hurt columnist
❖ For those who missed reading Matt
McBurnett's article Dec. 4th, I would strongly
suggest that they get a copy from The
Battalion office "morgue."
In addition to shedding light on the enig
ma behind the stench in Zachry restrooms,
this article also tends to remind fellow Ags
(particularly Asian Ags) about McBurnett's
displeasure towards the growing number of
"rice eating people" on campus. What puzzles
a few of us who have read the article is the
certainty with which he associates the squalid
condition of the restrooms particularly with
the rice in the diets of a few and not maybe
hamburgers and fries!
McBurnett may be beyond help, but I have
two bits of advice to share with him. If he ever
decides to go to graduate school at Texas
A&M electrical engineering department, I
would suggest that he attach a copy of his arti
cle along with his application because the
selection process happens to be done by a few
'rice eating' professors who incidentally use
the Zachry restrooms too!
When he grows up and decides to go out
side of central Texas, a place called Singapore
would be a good place to start since it is often
labeled as the "cleanest city in the world" and
ironically. It is inhabited by "rice eating peo
ple!"
Matthew Chako
graduate student
University retains
world-class status
❖ When I read Christina Maimarides' Dec.
5 column blasting Aggie pride and enthusi
asm, I hunted the pages of The Battalion wait
ing for someone to blast her. Instead, on Dec.
9, a letter of support reared its’ugly head.
Texas A&M is not only a bona fide world-
class university, it easily holds its own as one
of the best. I am a freshman here, and before I
decided on this campus, I visited several
major universities.
Not one could even compare to what I
found at A&M. The aloofness and tenuous
thread of loyalty that characterized these insti
tutions in comparison to the tight-knit, fiercely
prideful Aggies made the decision to attend
A&M an easy one.
It is the very "Spirit of Aggieland" that
makes A&M unique and separates it from all
the others. The traditions and loyalties of
Aggies are not meant to confine and restrict.
They are meant to bring the students closer to
one another, to create a sense of camaraderie
and to focus on a common goal; making A&M
the best world-class university in the world.
Some may call this conservative; I call it
loyalty.
I will concede on one point. You are right
in saying Ags are close-minded about their
school. We are. We love our school and are
quite willing to tell anyone within yelling dis
tance just how deep our loyalties run. So it is
only natural that when someone open-minded
criticizes traditions that have been around
since their granny was in diapers for their fel
low Ags to get defensive.
As a liberal arts major, I whole-heartedly
agree with Maimarides' suggestions for
expanding the arts in Aggieland. Let's not,
however, do it at the expense of our time-hon
ored traditions. Introducing new programs
and expanding A&M's horizons will not be
facilitated by choking off the very thing that
makes A&M what it is today, and what it has
been for over a century. Take away the Corps
of Cadet, bonfire and the rest, and there will
be no need for the rivalry with t.u. We can just
tuck our tails and join them.
In conclusion, if anyone out there wants to
be an "open-minded, untraditional" Aggie, sit
and avoid yells at the games, then go plop
your butt in front of a TV. The rest of us are
going to go out and support our school.
Dori McDanel '95
Hove an opinion? Express it!
The Battalion is interested in hearing from
its readers. All letters to the editor are welcome.
Written letter must be no longer than 200
words. Letters must be signed and include
classification, address and daytime phone num
ber for verification purposes.
Anonymous letters wili not be published.
The Battalion reserves the right to edit all
letters for length, style and accuracy. There is
no guarantee letters will appear.
Letters may be brought to 013 Reed
McDonald, sent to Campus Mail Stop 1111 or
can be faxed to 845-5408.
ana 1