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At <strong>this</strong> very moment, genocide is<br />
occurring in Sudan. This may come<br />
as a shock to many, but it’s been happening<br />
for nearly three years. The media isn’t<br />
shedding enough light<br />
on it, leaving people<br />
unawares.<br />
Not only is the<br />
media brushing aside<br />
Sudan, however—our<br />
own government is as<br />
well. On September<br />
9th, 2004, the United States<br />
rightfully acknowledged that genocide<br />
was occurring but has since failed to take<br />
action.<br />
Perhaps when Sudan can produce<br />
“weapons <strong>of</strong> mass destructions” they will<br />
be brought into the public eye. The attitude<br />
President George Bush has seemed to take<br />
on international affairs is “no weapons,<br />
why bother?”<br />
EDITORIALS<br />
SUMMER 2005 THE LIGHTNING STRIKE PAGE FIVE<br />
SUDAN<br />
Overlooked: Genocide in Sudan<br />
By SARA ASHEY<br />
Staff Writer<br />
MEDIA<br />
wrong; what’s happening in Iraq is awful.<br />
But the only way progress can be made<br />
is through<br />
a c t i o n .<br />
T h e<br />
U n i t e d<br />
S t a t e s<br />
and the<br />
U n i t e d<br />
N a t i o n s<br />
m u s t<br />
decree a<br />
force to<br />
p r o t e c t<br />
civilians in Sudan. What is<br />
happening there is atrocious. We, as a<br />
nation, as citizens <strong>of</strong> the world, face<br />
a simple choice; we must act now, or<br />
witness another chapter <strong>of</strong> injustice added<br />
to human history.<br />
Do we really need public broadcasting?<br />
By ALAN TARRAB<br />
Copy Editor<br />
During summer vacation, I was working<br />
as a courier with no one to keep me<br />
company except the<br />
radio. Sometimes<br />
I would listen to<br />
private radio stations,<br />
but I also listened to<br />
NPR, National Public<br />
Radio. As long as<br />
it exists, I plan on<br />
getting my tax money’s<br />
ASHEY<br />
TARRAB<br />
worth, avoiding commercials wherever<br />
possible.<br />
NPR is a subdivision <strong>of</strong> CPB, the<br />
Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a<br />
government agency created in 1967 to<br />
administer government subsidized media.<br />
The federal government gives $100<br />
million a year to public broadcasting while<br />
taxing its competitors (the private news<br />
Also, beside the genocide, for over<br />
two decades now there has been a civil<br />
war in Sudan. Christians in the south and<br />
government-supported Arab Muslims<br />
from the north, the Janjaweed, have<br />
fought over religious differences. In their<br />
wake, two million people have died.<br />
N o w<br />
t h e<br />
Janjaweed<br />
h a s<br />
t a r g e t e d<br />
civilians,<br />
rounding<br />
them up<br />
and killing<br />
them for<br />
the color<br />
<strong>of</strong> their<br />
Do you know about what’s happening<br />
in Sudan?<br />
NO<br />
YES<br />
20%<br />
skin, and where they live. Approximately<br />
400,000 have died, and that number grows<br />
every day.<br />
But almost all current news coverage<br />
has been based on the situation in Iraq<br />
and the “war on terrorism.” Don’t get me<br />
corporations pay corporate income tax).<br />
Why is it necessary to subsidize one<br />
specifi c radio station and TV channel while<br />
taxing the others? Running newspapers,<br />
radio stations, and television channels<br />
is pr<strong>of</strong>i table. Consumers will pay to buy<br />
newspapers and cable TV, and businesses<br />
will advertise in all forms <strong>of</strong> media to<br />
catch readers’ attention. Thus, in order<br />
to survive (and make money) the media<br />
need only keep readers interested through<br />
accurate, objective reporting, interesting<br />
feature writing and editorials that present<br />
novel points <strong>of</strong> view. The customers are the<br />
ultimate judge <strong>of</strong> what is or isn’t objective<br />
or interesting.<br />
Public broadcasting doesn’t answer to<br />
the people directly. Instead it must please<br />
the government. If the government gives<br />
public broadcasting freedom, the staff is<br />
unaccountable and may become biased, or<br />
they may discuss topics that don’t interest<br />
the public.<br />
Now the Janjaweed has<br />
targeted civilians, rounding<br />
them up and killing them for<br />
the color <strong>of</strong> their skin.<br />
SUPREME COURT CARTOON BY DREW LERMAN<br />
Supreme Court nominee unfi t for bench<br />
By BENJAMIN HYMAN<br />
Staff Writer<br />
As Sandra Day O’Connor steps down<br />
from the Supreme Court in June, and<br />
Bush and a majority Republican Senate<br />
choose her replacement, the nominee<br />
will be confi rmed to <strong>of</strong>fi ce without any<br />
real opposition.<br />
O’Connor represents the woman’s<br />
vote along with Ruth Bader Ginsberg.<br />
Needless to say, the fewer women on<br />
the bench, the less pull women have in<br />
topics like abortion. O’Connor has been<br />
consistently pro-abortion and if Roe v.<br />
Wade is called into question again with<br />
a conservative in O’Connor’s place, we<br />
may see the end <strong>of</strong> legalized abortion.<br />
John Roberts, the nominee to replace<br />
O’Connor, has a terrifi c track record as<br />
an attorney. He attended Harvard Law,<br />
served under William Rehnquist in the<br />
early Regan years, and then Bush Sr.<br />
He then returned to law fi rm Hogan &<br />
Hartson as a partner and became the head<br />
<strong>of</strong> the fi rm’s appellate practice, and soon<br />
after became a D.C.<br />
Circuit Judge in<br />
2003.<br />
Regardless <strong>of</strong><br />
his impressive<br />
l e g a l<br />
b a c k g r o u n d ,<br />
I am not<br />
impressed with<br />
his stances on<br />
key issues.<br />
R o b e r t s ’ s<br />
propositions<br />
are unfair and<br />
illogical. He<br />
agrees with prayer<br />
in federally funded<br />
public schools, but<br />
believes doctors<br />
r e c e i v i n g<br />
federal dollars<br />
shouldn’t speak<br />
to women about abortion.<br />
John Roberts represents a very<br />
80%<br />
dangerous new trend in our culture<br />
He represents the new wave <strong>of</strong> rash<br />
conservatism. He represents how society<br />
is once again tolerating intolerance.<br />
The nomination <strong>of</strong> John Roberts<br />
vividly illustrates the devolution<br />
<strong>of</strong> our society into the dark ages.<br />
The Supreme Court was<br />
created to determine the<br />
constitutionality <strong>of</strong> laws. John<br />
Roberts’ own biases will prevent<br />
him from doing his job as a justice.<br />
His ideals clearly violate the tenet<br />
<strong>of</strong> separation <strong>of</strong> church and state in<br />
the constitution. How can a Justice<br />
<strong>of</strong> the highest court in the country be<br />
expected to protect the law <strong>of</strong> the<br />
land when he himself violates<br />
it?<br />
A moderate bench is the<br />
only answer. Justices should<br />
represent the population at<br />
large, not a small percentage<br />
determined by the president<br />
at the time <strong>of</strong> nomination.<br />
Why is it necessary to<br />
subsidize one specifi c radio<br />
station and TV channel while<br />
taxing the others?<br />
If the government imposes strict<br />
controls, the independence <strong>of</strong> the media is<br />
jeopardized. Part <strong>of</strong> the role <strong>of</strong> the media<br />
is to keep the government in check by<br />
exposing corruption, ineffi ciency, and<br />
abuse <strong>of</strong> power. A state-run media, as shown<br />
by experience in totalitarian nations, is not<br />
effective in its “watchdog” function.<br />
Any attempt at imposing “objectivity”<br />
can be perceived as imposing the current<br />
administration’s point <strong>of</strong> view; and too<br />
much freedom can lead to sloppy reporting.<br />
Either way, we lose.<br />
The best solution is simply to eliminate<br />
public broadcasting, letting the private<br />
media police itself. Any government<br />
attempts to insert itself into the media<br />
market is bound to fail.<br />
MEDIA<br />
The degradation <strong>of</strong><br />
information<br />
A<br />
democracy is only as strong<br />
as its most ignorant citizen.<br />
I base <strong>this</strong> on the idea that<br />
people, with the information to do so,<br />
will actively and responsibly pursue<br />
the best interests <strong>of</strong> society.<br />
As technology in communication<br />
progresses, great strides are being<br />
made in the business <strong>of</strong> information<br />
acquisition—news gathering,<br />
essentially. Leads are developed<br />
quicker, facts are checked faster and<br />
the time it takes <strong>this</strong> information to get<br />
to the reader has been cut substantially.<br />
Ironically, at a time <strong>of</strong> such<br />
technological progress, the truth seems<br />
less clearly defi ned than ever. And it’s<br />
all the TV’s fault.<br />
As readership <strong>of</strong> newspapers<br />
declines across the country, Americans<br />
are attempting, in increasing numbers,<br />
to fi ll <strong>this</strong> gap with television news.<br />
LOST IN TRANSLATION<br />
If <strong>this</strong> were simply a change<br />
<strong>of</strong> format, if it was just the news<br />
packaged in a brighter, friendlier<br />
design, there would be no problem.<br />
But the conversion from print to<br />
broadcast media is anything but<br />
smooth. Detail and analysis usually<br />
associated with newspapers are <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
lost in the adaptation. Citizens relying<br />
exclusively on TV news are left with<br />
a cursory, fragmented understanding<br />
<strong>of</strong> events and occurrences around the<br />
world, clearly not enough to make a<br />
thoughtful decision.<br />
Ignorance is affecting our ability<br />
to rule the nation in a responsible<br />
manner. Ignorance <strong>of</strong> the effects <strong>of</strong><br />
government decisions. Ignorance<br />
<strong>of</strong> world affairs and sentiment. For<br />
every new consumer attracted to the<br />
glowing, glittery appeal <strong>of</strong> TV news,<br />
another potentially informed voter is<br />
lost.<br />
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT<br />
Such is the price <strong>of</strong> progress;<br />
something is lost by gains in<br />
technology. But it doesn’t have to<br />
be. Steps can be taken to improve<br />
broadcast media—to fi ll with value the<br />
24 hours <strong>of</strong> news programming some<br />
stations boast. The control <strong>of</strong> huge<br />
news corporations can be restricted,<br />
whose bland coverage <strong>of</strong> world events<br />
<strong>of</strong>fers little insight <strong>of</strong> the bigger<br />
picture. Fresh competition can be<br />
restored to the TV news arena.<br />
On the other hand, the internet<br />
and its new form <strong>of</strong> media—web<br />
logs, online newspapers—promises to<br />
take the place <strong>of</strong> print journalism in a<br />
positive way. But not every American<br />
reads their news online, let alone has<br />
a computer in their home. It will be<br />
some time before the internet eclipses<br />
the popularity <strong>of</strong> TV.<br />
The printed word is dying and<br />
there may be no way to bring it back.<br />
This is unfortunate. But when it goes,<br />
it doesn’t have to commit the more<br />
serious crime <strong>of</strong> taking the quality <strong>of</strong><br />
information with it.