>nday * February 9, 1998
The Battalion
ITATE OF THE UNION
I Circus of tlie bizarre
linton, Lewinsky controversy gives insight into the shady side of the media
Manisha
Parekh
columnist
The Secret Sex Wars.”
“Clinton in Crisis.”
These are just some
ie headlines that have
L'd across magazines and
spapers over the last few
T ks. From the first moment
Dacb Kenneth Starr caught wind
Tr lonjca Lewinsky, the Ameri-
.\j : media have been in a feed-
renzy, eating up every bit
i j.. :andal that they could get
r r teeth into. But in the
:ess of “uncovering the
ar “' h,i the media have transformed themselves into a
c of yellow journalists who could care less about
e difference between fact and fiction.
’he week the story broke, CNN went from “Cable
rs Network” to “Clinton Nookie Network.” Despite
fact that the Pope was visiting Cuba (in what had
n hailed the week before as the event of the centu-
the only news that hit the airwaves was Clinton
Lewinsky.
I During a joint press conference with Palestinian
I der passer Arafat, the man who could help put an
I to the violence in Israel, the main topic being dis
ced was not foreign policy, it was Monica Lewinsky.
[#f the fist couple of days were bad, the next few
even worse. After repeating the same allegations
and over again, the media started to dig in
dusky's past. “ ... classmates at Beverly Hills High
ip. embered her unkindly as a girl who had ‘gone to a
I*' 1 arm.’” Newsweek reported,
jit’s hard to see what Lewinsky’s weight problem
to do with Clinton, Kenneth Starr, and the investi-
ron.lBut these stories, which are apparently im-
nanl and riveting, kept coming.
|AF Vhen fewer new facts were being discovered,
fr madia decided to take things into their own
ids.|The ’’Crisis in the White House,” as ABC
[ vs dubbed it, took on a life of its own, and media
1 it every step of the way.
|tft tumors and leaks, which most journalists would
? the time to research and verify, were being
m
tossed about in stories as fact. The most fa
mous rumor to become a fact which
“sources say” concerned a semen-soaked
dress which Lewinsky had.
Unfortunately, no such dress exists; the
story, according to Newsweek, was created
by book publisher Lucianne Goldberg in or
der to attract media attention.
Another example of this rush to publish
happened on Jan. 25 when ABC news re
ported that several witnesses had caught
Clinton and Lewinsky in “an intimate en
counter in the White House.”
However, the next day, the media were
scrambling to print retractions and wash
their hands of the report; this was after pa
pers such as the Dallas Morning News had
already printed stories declaring that Secret
Service agents were already talking to Starr
about what they had seen.
Most organizations would have learned
that such a rush to judgment was danger
ous. But not the American media. For them,
the beat goes on.
The media are still debating what they
should and should not have done when the
story broke. Should they have been in such a
hurry to print rumors that were unsubstan
tiated? Should they have filled the airways
with fluff and figures who had nothing to do
with the core of the story? The answers are
very simple and yet very hard for the press
to accept, because it would mean that the
media finally accept that they are no longer
watch dogs, but mad dogs.
But the media is not willing accept that.
They still believe themselves to be the gate
that keeps government and officials in line
and telling the truth.
But who keeps the American media in
line and telling the truth?
Manisha Parekh is a sophomore
journalism and psychology major.
TATE OF THE UNION
rxr
not be of concern
Frank
Stanford
columnist
I merica’s ability to give
importance to other-
IWJ. JLwise petty issues never
;ases to be amazing. While
|il) her countries are struggling
achieve economic stability,
wart revolution or avoid be-
J g attacked by neighboring
I itions, America has been
■rugglingover the moral and
gal issues surrounding the
f ayfi 11 antics of our presi-
trouser mouse and a
fymng female intern.
As usual, the media is the driving force behind
1 1 the tabloidesque excitement, not to mention the
nbarrassment this story has caused Bill Clinton.
But, as luck would have it, when words like,
Fmpeachmem” and “resignation" were first men-
* aned on the news, the threat of war swooped in
■ save him from being swallowed by his own ...
n, evidence.
Now not a day goes by without stories of presi-
?ntial oral sex and military build-up on front-page
2ws. For the life of me, I can’t see how these two is-
teffcan be viewed as equally important to the
f; >untry. Sex scandal, war — war, sex scandal. Per
haps Americans are obsessed with missile place
ment in general.
Nevertheless, there are a number of important is
sues that all this ruckus has brought to our atten
tion. First, we have to decide if the president should
be allowed to have sexual relations with those other
than his wife. My initial, gut response is “it’s none of
our business.”
An affair, regardless of its extent or sexual nature,
is a private, marital issue, not a public one. Besides,
Hillary Clinton has obviously been aware of her hus
band’s extramarital activities for many years, and
has either learned to cope with them or no longer
cares. She is clearly a person more interested in hav
ing power than having a faithful husband, or she
would have divorced him a long time ago.
The fact that the alleged affair was with Monica
Lewinsky throws a wrench in the gears of judg
ment because she worked for the president. This
raises the same issues of harassment as bosses
flirting with secretaries, or military officers hitting
on enlisted women.
The Paula Jones case falls into this category as
well because she worked for the state of Arkansas
when Clinton was governor. However, according to a
number of testimonies, Monica was hardly harassed.
And she was far more than consensual.
Here’s where the affair gets a little stickier. Not
only did the president allegedly ask Monica to deny
the affair in a legal setting, but he’s been telling the
American people that no improper sexual relation
ship existed between them at all.
Now, the American people know that Bill has a
vibrant libido, and it’s quite possible that due to his
infidelities Hillary hasn’t been interested in sex
with him for, oh, let’s say 10 years. So, it’s not a
stretch to believe that the affair — or whatever oral
sex constitutes — probably occurred. Running the
country is bound to be stressful, and, well, 10 years
is a long time.
It’s also easy to believe that our president may be
lying through his teeth about the whole thing.
Maybe he’s not, but my money is on the slick willy.
So, there may have been a consensual affair be
tween a woman and a man whose wife, for whatev
er reason puts up with affairs, repeatedly. The indi
viduals involved are involved by choice, and
everyone seems to get what they want most of all.
Is there a problem?
Well, there are a couple of moral and legal issues
pertaining to this case. Legally, telling Monica to lie
is obstructing justice, an impeachable offense. But
“obstructing justice” sounds so serious. “Covering
up a fling for image purposes” is how it sounds to
me. Morally, our president is likely an adulterer
(again) and just as likely, a liar (again).
Granted, these traits exhibit what we call "poor
moral character,” but, even as a non-Democrat
American who didn’t vote for Clinton, I am prepared
to look the other way. In fact, I don’t care if every
night there’s a line of hookers waiting outside the
White House.
We didn’t elect Ozzie and Harriet to lead the na
tion. How can we bust the president for a couple of
orgasms when we’re boning up for a another war, for
crying out loud?
Apparently, most of the country agrees with me.
After a couple of weeks of incessant media badger
ing, Clinton’s polls began to rise.
Most people still believed he had the affair and
even lied about it. But aside from the moral and le
gal implications, most Americans don’t consider his
actions to be condemnable, particularly since most
things are going rather well in America. Everybody’s
working, the stock market is up, gas prices are down,
the Iraq situation is a problem — but we’ve handled
it before.
And our president is as entertaining as a daytime
talk show.
Frank Stanford is a philosophy graduate student.
eim
TUDENT LIFE
S
Pageant promotion reinforces tradition of Greeks, alcohol
Joe
Schumacher
columnist
lat do Delta Sigma Phi, Rudder Au
ditorium, and 15 lovely ladies have
in common?” If you chose Bud
itjyou are absolutely right.
|j the cover of the January edition of Study
| e ;aks magazine, a fraternity sponsoring an
%t] sponsored by Budweiser.
,fc First, The Miss Greek Pageant is supposed to
Raising money for the March of Dimes. The
rch of Dimes benefits children born with
1 th defects, including, but not limited to, fetal
rohol syndrome.
■ l Well, gold star for Budweiser and the the peo-
1 who suggested that an alcohol company
bnsor an event giving money to this charity.
‘Then there is pageant itself. “We wanted ... the program as a promo-
f n of women, not a degradation,” pageant director Uri Geva said in the
l-gazine. Unfortunately, 12 women hanging around a beer truck does
d : promote the Miss Greek Pageant, or the women in the pageant. It
ms to promote Budweiser.
Many fraternities are working very hard to do away with the stereotyp-
l image of Greek organizations. Two chapters, Sigma Nu and Phi Delta
fyta. have nationally pledged to go substance-free at their houses by the
; ir 2000. Others have pledged to follow suit by the year 2002.
These fraternities are tired of having their houses trashed by strangers
i having to be responsible for everyone drinking responsibly. These
two fraternities also see this promise as a returning to their “ roots,”
which were lost in the haze of partying. Additionally they are doing away
with one of the most infamous icons of the fraternities: the frat party
house.
While these fraternity houses will be a lot quieter by the year 2000,
they can still have alcohol at third-party vendors, such as clubs.
This removes them from any responsibility they would face for such
instances as underage drinking. While some may view this as a diffusion
of responsibility, it shows a maturity on their parts to accept help with
the growing problems of hazing and underage and binge drinking.
The cover of Study Breaks presents a setback to the goal of improving
the Greek image. A picture is worth a thousand words, and this picture
only speaks of beer, which has been synonymous with Greek organiza
tions, especially fraternities.
This picture also casts an image on other fraternities who are trying to
do away with the negative reputations.
Is this how Delta Sigma Phi intended to be portrayed? Probably not.
They probably caught got up in the excitement of several months plan
ning coming together, and did not realize the possible repercussions
that this could have.
“Having our picture on the cover was a hasty decision,” Uri Geva
said. “It was important to us to promote the event. The good that was
done far outweighs any possible negative effects. However, we have
learned from this experience. We will continue to grow as a fraternity,
and the pageant will grow as a philanthropic event.”
This is not to overlook the success of the pageant. It raised thousands
of dollars for two good causes: Phoebe’s Home, and March of Dimes.
Delta Sigma Phi is also trying to improve their image as a fraternity
by giving back to the community.
“When was the last time a fraternity was on the front page of The Bat
talion two days in a row for good news, and last week’s picture of a man
in his Greek letters does not count,” Geva said. Delta Sigma Phi does a
variety of events such as adopt a highway, the Miss Greek A&M pageant
and plans are currently underway to sponsor a little league baseball
team in Bryan.
However, people who look at that cover do not see the good things
they do, they see Bud Light. This picture shows the irresponsibility that
fraternities are typically known for. Delta Sigma Phi should have known
better, the sorority members should have known better and Study
Breaks should have known better.
Through their irresponsibility, both the fraternity and the sororities
were exploited by Study Breaks, who figured that by placing beer on
the cover and playing up the stereotype as much as they could, they
would increase their readership. Somebody at that shoot should have
stepped back and thought about the possible repercussions and mes
sage it could send.
While the notion of Greek organizations returning to their roots and
trying break away from the “Animal House” stereotype is an idea that
needs to be commended, the picture on Study Breaks proves clearly that
they all have a long way to go.
Joe Schumacher is a junior journalism major.