Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / July 11, 1985, edition 1 / Page 2
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2The Tar HeelThursday, July 11, 1985 i In Wilt, Hill I- i roi t ffoadct Medlnao Tine Mmiiases - suni'd. I i j U vr Jim CM U elevMoini mews After a period of relative calm melodrama broke out again on Cable News Network Tuesday night. The viewer sitting in front of the television with his or her dinner was taken to the latest troubles in South Africa. We saw large crowds of blacks at what we were told was a funeral. The tension, it seemed, was present all along. At the end of the funeral it surfaced in violence. We were shown film of a car burning and of two critically injured men. A device the necessity for which IVe never understood was used. We were shown the same film more than once in the short news report. A device the necessity for which IVe never understood was used. We were shown the same film more than once in the short news report. The film that was repeated was that of the burning car and the two injured men. The conclusion we derive from this is that CNN was short of footage. However it is somewhat disturbing in its effect on the viewer. Presumably that was the only burning car and those two were the only critically injured men. Repeat that three times and we get three burning cars and six critically injured men. I jest not. That is the effect on the viewer. But there are other problems with a news report such as this. It gets, at most, two minutes of air time. There's not a whole lot that you can do with two minutes especially if the first is occupied with the 'talking head anchorperon saying exactly what the on-the-spot reporter will say for the next rninute. This The Tar Heel 93rd year of editorial freedom Jim Greenhill, Editor Catherine Cowan, Managing Editor Vicente Vargas, Copy Editor Lane Mitchell, News Editor Peggie Porter, Kaleidoscope Editor Phyllis Fair, Sports Editor Rachel Stroud, Calendar Editor Jonathan Serenius, Photography Editor News: Margaret Barrett, Tom Con Ion, Kevin Meredith, Hisayo Nishi maru, Heather- Osburne, and Joy Thompson Kaleidoscope: Janine Edmundson, Stewart Gray, Laura Lance, Annie Lowenfels, Aniket Majumdar, Chandler McRee, Rene Meyer, Deia Parker, and Jim Townsend. Sports: Lara Gibbs and Wendy Stringfellow Business and Advertising: Anne Fulcher, general manager; Angela Booze, business manager; Paula Brewer, advertising director, Alicia Brady and Scott Whitaker, advertising representatives; Milli Neal, classified advertising manager, and Cathy Davis, secretary. Production: Brenda Moore and Stacy Wynn. Printing: Hinton Press Inc. of Mebane is Television-For-The-Extremely-Retarded. Twice we are told that there -was violence in South Africa at a funeral a continuation of previous violence (could this be a golden opportunity for file film?) Blacks are appar ently violent against each other, resulting in the destruction of a car and the critical injury of two people. We see no police in the film and, significantly, no whites. So what are we supposed to conclude? Where is South Africa? What is all this protest about? (No, what is it really about?) Should we be judging this from our perspective or does it appear different to a South African? What is the historical background? What measures are being taken, and by whom, in response? What are the blacks really trying to get across? How about talking to some of them? And how do the minority whites really feel? What can we as Americans do, if anything, about the problems of South Africa? It is this last question that television (especially) so often leaves unasked, let alone answered. Let us take a hypothetical scenario. Multiple fatalities on 15-501. Local station gets a camera on the scene within minutes very . possibly ahead of the emergency services, in which case they could still be relied upon to give film footage priority over helping the injured. Lots of blood and gore. Great footage. Initial investigations suggest alcohol was involved. Three people were killed. Cue arm hanging out of mangled wreckage, blood soaked blanket over lump on stretcher, hysterical wife (how about a close-up of her tearing at her hair and weeping uncontrolla bly?) Good grief! That's worth a clip at the opening of the news, a still just before the ads, and a two minute report narrated by a reporter at the scene in a freshly laundered suit. Hmm. Why don't we follow that with a segment of advertising? Lessee. Well, there's still the Bud ad to run and we could follow that with the trailer for Rambo: First Blood Part II. Real life horror followed by a reminder of how great it is to drink followed by elaborately staged movie horror. Which was real and which was make believe? What was that last news report about anyway? Come to think of it, are we still in the ads or are we back in the program? It doesn't really matter what was fact and what was fiction anyway. After all, what can deaths on the highway or in South Africa or some civilians held on a distant runway against their will or the continuing saga of (is it or isn't it?) bones in Brazil mean to us more than soap opera? Who shot J.R.? My goodness! Did Bobby Ewing really die in such a horrible and tragic way? Which is fantasy and which is reality? Who cares anyway, providing it makes for good footage. And what can we do? First, turn to the more reliable""elements of the print media for your news. Read several different accounts of major events. Ask yourself if a hyped-up event is really as important as it's made out to be (for example, hostages in Beirut). Second, how about giving up TV for a month? Third, read Jerry Mander's Four Arguments For The Elimination of Television. It may help you see things from a different perspective. 't rtw me Ktfwgstri VfciT sur. -flWfftTC6 . tT ffc&DT f PAY WO. I COLLEGE PRESS SERVI IB "II Ilil ! I il 1 1 1 1 11 IIHIMI 1 1 H!l-"IMniipWWIIil IWH'Ori -IHIIIWIIIII II i.Mi Hj 1 .1 1 1 mi mi. in IIMWW mi ILPI JB .WMMWMJI j To the Editor As a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I appreciate the relatively low-cost education I receive, and I am willing to pay modest tuition increases to complete my education here. But recently it seems that tuition increases have been more than simply modest, and I deplore the actions by Gov. James' Grubbs Martin and the UNC Board of Trustees to enact a 10 percent surcharge on tuition. This situation makes me want to throw up. Today the UNC Board has the power to reduce tuition. The Internal Revenue Service sent $6.6 million in tax refunds and interest to UNC-CH (see the Raleigh News and Observer, 62585). From personal experience, I can attest to the uniqueness of this event; the IRS rarely surrenders 6.6 cents, much less that many million dollars. Therefore, I think the Board should show its ability to be kind to us students, who after graduation will be asked to contribute - to numerous funds, such as the Sustaining Fund. The Board can show its kindness by applying the $6.6 million toward an across-the-board reduction in tuition. This reduction would accomplish two things. First, it would show students that the UNC Board of Trustees has one collective heart, something many students doubt after the meal plan rape last year. Second, and more important, the tuition reduction would save me money. I hope that the Board seizes this opportunity and reduces tuition. Pete Austin Raleigh inn l, : In the May 30 issue of The Tar Heel the editorial 'News Media: Bias meets bias; can anyone win?' neglected to identify Dolan. Tony Dolan, Chief Speechwriter for the White House in 1983, spoke on the panel The Making of a Political Issue' at the 1983 American Political Journalism Conference in Washing ton D.C. In the June 20 issue the article 'Powell receives North Carolinian Society Award' incorrectly identified the North Caroliniana Society as the North Carolinian Society. We apologize for these errors. THE Daily Crossword by Bernice Gordon See Solution on page 5 ACROSS 1 Sikkim servant 5 Overturns 9 Cupola 13 Pulpy fruit 15 "See no " 16 Netherlands town 17 Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Kramden 20 Small bird 21 Attraction 22 Female ruff 23 Plank used in shipbuilding 24 Saloon in Soho 25 Cry of triumph 26 Egyptian goddess 23 Supply weapons 31 acid 34 Pay up ' 35 Lost 35 A June event 33 Field of study 40 Algerian port 41 Trunk artery 42 Verily! 43 Hep to 44 Namesakes: abbr. 45 Call for help 46 Rep.'sfoe 47 Sp. Mrs. 50 Hirsute adornment 53 Property agent 55 Song by Cahn and Van Heusen 57 Israeli VIP 58 Thin stratum 59 Valentine or Black 60 Units of length 61 Commune in Sicily 62 "I man with seven" DOWN 1 Thespian 2 US skier Phil 3 Rugged ridge 4 Santa's laugh 5 Wee 6 A league 7 Kind of cotton 8 More careless 9 Star in Cygnus 10 OldGr. theaters 11 Earthy deposit 12 Ger. river 14 Famous ballet group 18 Darling dog 19 Musical work 25 Forever day 26 Peruvian 27 Br. carbine 28 Early stringed instrument 29 Ripped 30 Yucatan native 31 Not at home 32 Nothing more than 33 Brainchild 34 Soil: comb, form 35 Minor prophet 37 Trifles 38 Designate funds 43 Jot 44 Mock 45 Composer Saint 1 Ti 3 Ti 1 is Ti 7 fi r 19 To 11 75 TT 14 Ti Ti 17 18 19 . Ti "22 23 24 25 26 1 27 28 29 30 31 1 32 33 """" 3T 3sT" 36 """" " " " 37 """" """"" 38" """"" """" "39 40 """"" Ti mmm " """"" 44" ,111,1-1 .1...L.11 -. ,. - 45 46 47 48 49 50 1 51 52 53 54" 55 56 " . - 60 61 1 62 48 Serious play 50 Vast desert 54 O' Flaherty 47 Look fixedly 51 Ellipsoidal 55 Moon vehicle 48 Thesaurus name 52 Genesis garden 58 alive! 49 Combat place
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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July 11, 1985, edition 1
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