6 The Daily Tar Heel Wednesday. September 14. 1977
Greg Porter
Editor
Ben Cornelius. Managing Editor
Ed Rankin. Asstviate Editor
Lou Bilionis. Associate Editor
Laura Scism. University Editor
Elliott Potter. City Editor
Chltk Alston, State and National Editor
Sara Bui lard. Features Editor
("hip Ensmin. Arts Editor
Gene Upchi'wh. Sports Editor
Al l in Jmnw.an Photography Editor
Coping with a white elephant
The B. Everett Jordan Dam is a forlorn sight.
Sitting off U.S. 64 in Chatham County, the 14,300-acre lake looks like
most other dams in all respects except one it has no water. And Sunday
the North Carolina Conservation Board made sure that the lake will remain
empty for a while longer.
If the controversy over the dam continues much longer, it will be hard to
find people in this area who can remember when it all began. The U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers began construction of the dam in the early 1970s and
completed it in 1975.
But environmentalists charged that the Corps had failed to file an
environmental impact statement, required by the federal National
Environmental Policy Act, on the dam's construction. The statement, once
filed, was not considered adequate by conservationists.
In late July, however, U.S. District Court Judge Eugene Gordon ruled
that the Corps had properly considered the lake's environmental impact and
that the lake could be created. But the conservation council's decision
Sunday almost assures that no further work on the project will take place
until the issue is resolved by the courts. The towns of Chapel Hill and
Durham are also planning appeals.
The council's decision to appeal the ruling is a good one. According to the
Corps' own environmental impact statement, there are dangerously high
levels of mercury in the streams that would feed the lake. Moreover, the
anticipated shallow and sluggish flow of water through the lake would
create a polluted reservoir.
In short, the dam would likely create a cesspool full of treated- sewage
effluent from New Hope Creek and Haw River and make the lake
unsuitable for recreation and water supply. There is also the matter of
money. Durham has argued that if the lake is created, that city would have,
to upgrade its sewage system because federal guidelines require stricter
waste treatment for discharges into lakes than discharges into streams and
rivers.
. The Corps of Engineers is naturally disappointed that its pet project could
be delayed once more. But the Corps has been a glutton for punishment in
this matter and will likely stay in the fight. One has to wonder how many
appeals and delays it will take before the Corps realizes it is stuck with a
white elephant.
Congratulations to Madison
Congratulations to the folks in Madison, Wise.
County Judge Archie Simonson, whose remarks linking sexual
permissiveness with rape created a furor in his liberal university community,
was defeated in a recall last Wednesday. .
Simonson was forced into the recall election by a 35.000-signature
petition drive protesting comments he made from the bench linking rape
and women's clothing. Coupled with the remarks was his handling of a
youth charged with raping a girl at the high school both attended. Simonson
ruled that the boy was reacting normally to the situation and cited the girl's
suggestive clothing she was wearing jeans and a blouse over a turtleneck
in granting the youth a suspended sentence.
Immediately, local feminist groups voiced their outrage and started the
recall petition. Thirty-five thousand signatures later, Simonson lost the
recallelection to lawyer Moria Krueger, who polled more than 15,000
votes to 1 1,735 for the incumbent.
No matter what a woman is wearing or how she is acting, forcing a woman
to commit sexual acts against her will is rape and should be punished as
such. It can only be good that a judge such as Archie Simonson. who is
charged with meting out justice, was removed frjm the bench. It's amazing
that 1 1 .000 persons voted to keep the narrow-minded man in service, but at
least 1 5,507 M adison voters realized that there is no place on the bench for a
man of the low caliber of Archie Simonson.
The long dispute between advocacy and bourgeois objective journalism
By DOUG CLARK
Recently 1 wrote a feature article for the
Daily Tar 7fe("Vertlib reflects on Russian
human rights," Aug. 30) based on a lengthy
interview with a Soviet dissident whom we
are fortunate to have among us in Chapel
Hill. It was ironic, though unfortunate, that
large portions of this article dealing with
violations of freedom of the press in the
Soviet U nion were censored. That, of course,
is my characterization, and it refers not to
anyone's intentions or motivations, but to
the objective result of the process.
I want to emphasize that not only
opinions, but verifiable facts, were omitted
from the published version, even though the
DTH claimed on different occasions that the
omitted sections consisted of "propaganda,"
"editorializing," "inserting myself into the
interview," etc., and that such "subjective"
material had best be reserved for the
editorial page. The DTH wanted a
"personality piece," and apparently not an
article dealing with the vital issues of the
Soviet dissident movement and of the U.S.
policy on human rights.
A long and frank discussion in the DTH
offices did not resolve our differences,
though it did help to clear the air. 1 was
assured that the Tar Heel is open to the free
expression of diverse opinions, and 1 have
accepted this assurance at face value in the
hope that what happened in this particular
instance w ill never be repeated. The question
of "editorial judgment vs. censorship" is
really part of a larger controversy w ithin the
field of journalism itself between "advocacy
journalists" and those who pretend to
"objectivity." It is ultimately an issue which
only informed readers themselves can
resolve, in general, and in each particular
instance. Hence it may be worthwhile to
enumerate some of the suppressed parts of
my article, namely:
That not all Soviet writers, even all
dissident Soviet writers, are restricted with
regard to what they may write and publish.
That the West is little familiar with the
Eaihj
(Ear HM
85th year of editorial freedom
diversity of dissident currents in the Soviet
Union, since Marxist dissidents are virtually
excluded from media coverage in the West,
while the more conservative ones are given
the most attention.
That both Soviet and U.S. officialdom
have misrepresented the nature of the
dissident movement and, ironically enough,
have often coincided in claiming that the
dissidents wish to restore capitalism in the
Soviet Union.
That, for many dissidents, the
achievement of the right to free expression
and other democratic rights is the
prerequisite for the construction of a
democratic socialist society.
Moreover, my characterization of the
KGB as "the Soviet version of the FBI or
CIA" was changed by the DTH to "the
Soviet secret police," and a piece of dialogue
and accompanying explanation was cut out
in which I briefly explained the position of
the oppressed national minorities in relation
to the dissident movement in the Soviet
Union.
But perhaps the most controversial point
made in the article was contained in the
following paragraph written by me which
was completely cut out:
"The point that should not be forgotten is
that the Soviet dissidents, no matter what
their political stripe, represent an objectively
progressive current which is countcrposed to
the repressive Stalinist bureaucracy. Their
struggle, and. the struggle of all the Soviet
people for a democratic socialist society, can
be best advanced in the West through the
support of student and civil-rights
organizations, labor unions and individuals
who are consistent supporters of human
rights in the whole world, not by the
machinations of hypocritical politicians
such as Carter who use the human rights
issue for narrow political gain w hile ignoring
such domestic outrages as the racist frame
up of the Wilmington 10."
Why controversial? Because I imply that
violations of human rights in the Soviet
I'nion and the United States are
comparable, and because 1 attempt to
ex post Carter on an issue which is. in a sense.
fly
letters to the editor
Fun on occasion-not every weekend
To the editor:
This concerns the letter from John
Johnson ("Bottoms Up." Sept. 8) about
Police Chief Herman Stone's act ol arresting
students in front of Kirk Patrick's.
The arrest may have annoyed a lot of
students, but I am sure a lot of Chapel ffill
residents feel that if was about time the
police did something abou these wild
students.
Being a resident of Chapel Hill all ol my
life. I have seen how the students act when
they are smashed. First. I say hurrah to the
policemen who made the arrests. 1 feel that
the police have been too tolerant of student
activities. Students have to work hard
everywhere, not only at Carolina. It seems to
me that part of their education should be
self-discipline.
Second, it's fine to get out and have a little
fun on occasion. But what was the occasion
last week or the week before that? This
happens every weekend.
Third. I am sure that Chapel Hill can
survive w ithout the students' contribution to
beer sales.
Fourth. I have been on Rosemary Street
on Friday and Saturday nights. It is just
unbelievable. The students walk out in front
of cars and pull out of parking lots in front of
passersby. So if there is a danger, it is to
those of us who are driving by.
We realize that this concerns only a small
amount ol the students, but it reflects upon
the whole student body.
Linda Farrow
Chapel Hill
To the editor:
Quite simply. John Johnson's letter made
me furious. I prefer to think that he wrote
such a letter out of sheer ignorance and that
he will leave Carolina a far more educated
and tplerant person. Perhaps, if both the
students and residents of Chapel Hill were
more aware of the problems faced by the
police department, they would be tolerant
if not appreciative.
I am married to a Chapel Hill policeman
and, therefore. 1 am extremely aware of the
long hours they often work. They are hours
worked, not for their own benefit, but for the
benefit of Chapel Hill. Mr. Johnson referred
to the NCAA finals. Has he so readily
his last claim to credibility with the sectors of
the population blacks, liberals, workers
and women's rights advocates w ho elected
him.
In fact. Carter has used the rhetoric of
human rights, particularly as applied to the
Soviet Union, to draw attention away from
U.S. collaboration with repressive regimes in
Chile, in South Korea, in Iran and around
the world, and to maintain some support
from the groups that elected him. Perhaps
more importantly, the President has tried to
cling to pretensions of supporting human
rights in other countries in order to cloud
over such blatant violations of human rights
on his own doorstep as the racist frame-ups
and judicial proceedings against the Dawson
5 in Georgia. Gary Tyler in Louisiana, and
the Wilmington 10 here in North Carolina.
As for the human rights of the estimated
"You could stand up and say anything you
wanted to, but nobody would listen"
300,000 w omen w ho w ill be denied Medicaid
abortions and forced to resort to dangerous
and illegal means to end pregnancy, our
President can only state that "life is often
unfair."
It does not require great intelligence to
realize that a selective and inconsistent
approach to human rights according to
narrow political criteria cannot be effective
in defending those rights. Since most people
are genuinely concerned with the human
rights issue. 1 merely wished to point out in
the section expurgated from my article how
such rights might best be defended.
Now. let's step back from this a little.
Everyone familiar with journalism knows
that there is an inherent conflict between the
editor and the writer. Instead of "allthe news
that's fit to print." the editor's motto often
becomes "all the news that fits - we print!"
I he writer writes, and the editor cuts,
sometimes mercilessly. I his conflict of
interest is probably inevitable, though it tan
probably be reduced through the experience
. . . V-; fust " -"s
2? '
2
forgotten that the streets were closed to
traffic that individuals roamed freely while
drinking beer and that blue paint was openly
smeared along Franklin Street?
1 am sure that Mr. Johnson was able to
watch the games without interruption. The
entire police department was on duty for the
final game and therefore sacrificed that
luxury. My husband was working the shift
from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. He then had to go
back to work at 7:30 p.m. and remain on
duty until 2 a.m. As if this were not enough,
he had to be back at work ul f:30 a.m. that
same morning.
Herman Stone was working the same
schedule. The Chapel Hill police provided us
with an opportunity to enjoy ourselves more
freely. Does Mr. Johnson realize that a ,
policeman was hit by a car and hospitalized
during all of this and more important,
does he care?
My husband would have loved to see the
game. If more people have Mr. Johnson's
altitude, next year he might be able todo just
that. To use one of your own cliches. "Don't
bite the hand that helps feed you." Mr.
Johnson.
Cvnthia Rogers
Chapel Hill
Off -the-wall
To the editor:
Student Body President Bill Moss'
comments ("Off-campus residents plan
conservation effort." Sept. 13) about the
UNC Creeks was not only unfounded and
ridiculous but also was an unethical and
inappropriate comment to be made by a
student body president. Some may even call
it "off-the-wall."
I quote: "A lot of them (Greeks) don't
know where the student union is - this
shows the mentality of some of theGreeks."
Moss' statement was unfounded in that it
was a gross generalization and unsupported
by any facts, polls, or research, and
ridiculous in that he assumes the mentality of
"a lot of them" can be illustrated by their
knowledge of the Union's location. Did he
forget that the president of the Union is a
Greek?
No doubt, this statement reflects an
indiscretion and lack of judgment on Moss'
part. However, after conferring with him I
can understand that even though he was
of working together over a longer period of
time.
Bourgeois journalism proclaims the myth
that it is. or attempts to be. "objective."
except on the editorial page. This is still the
prevailing standard today, though many
practicing journalists wink at such an
absurdity. Most ordinary folks who read the
daily newspaper are aware that the selection
of facts, their ordering and emphasis, the
reliability of sources, and the conscious or
unconscious bias of the writer all make
mincemeat of this assertion.
In addition, the writer's sifting of facts and
impressions is followed by the editor's own
red-pencilling. In the mass-circulation
media, or any medium which depends
heavily on commercial advertising, for that
matter, the "truth" that emerges from this
process is often a mere shadow of its former
self, esepcially since the biases of the
advertisers and owners can also enter subtly
into the final product. Finally, there is
s former self, esepcially since the biases of the
advertisers and owners can also enter subtly
into the final product. Finally, there is
sometimes the self -censorship of the writer,
who may omit controversial facts, no matter
how verifiable, out of fear that the editor will
not publish them. So much for the
"objectivity" of bourgeois journalism
One can ask. then, on appeal to what
authority or standard can the excision of
facts, or of words which change facts, or of
parts of dialogue relevant to the story, or of
entire explanatory sections which shed light
on the dialogue quoted, be justified?
Ultimately, it devolves upon the reader to
decide whether or not this sort ol journalism
has violated even its own standards.
As for my opinions which were deleted,
they were, by definition, subjective. But
hopefully, opinions, too. should have some
basis in the rational consideration of diverse
it
quoted correctly, he may have been partly
quoted out of context and that his point was
not well understood. Nevertheless, public
abuse of such a large and important segment
of this student body is irresponsible.
But now that the royth has been exposed, !
would like to present the truth. The Greeks
do care about the University, the town and
the water shortage, and for years have been
asserting a positive influence in the
University community.
Members of fraternities and sororities are
some of the most active students in the
University. For example, the editors of the
DTH and "Carolina Course Review." the
presidents of the student body. campus-Y.
CAA and the heads of the symposium and
honor court are Greek. And there are
numerous other organizations, including
honorary societies, that are headed by
Greeks and whose memberships draw
heavily from members of the Greek system.
Fraternities and sororities are not perfect,
but it cannot be denied that the members of
the Greek system have been making
countless contributions to the betterment of
this school and this town. This is the truth
and it should not be overlooked.
Tom Terrell
321 W. Cameron Ave.
Vote yes for soccer
To the editor:
In reply to Mr. Brook ho use's letter
("Admission charge a shame." Sept. 12), I
pose the question"How much do faculty pay
for tickets to revenue sports?" Six to eight
dollars. Soccer is the world's No. I sport.
Soccer is the world's No. I spectator sport.
Soccer is America's fastest growing sport.
How can any sport grow without revenue?
How can soccer grow at Carolina, when left
in the shadows? Certainly, fans can get up a
few dollars to watch a good soccer match.
Mr. Brookhouse. if you wear your
Rainbow Soccer shirt, they will let you in for
a buck. Ten dollars is a steal for a season
ticket. We need your support.
Please buy a ticket to watch Tar Heel
soccer. Vote yes for soccer going big time at
Carolina.
Peter Griffin
Co-captain, UNC Soccer Team
sources of information, weighted according
to criteria both of empirically verifiable
reality and of the writer's own ethical
position. Mine were based on several weeks
of research and direct consultation with two
leading authorities on the dissident
movement. George Saunders (edi . of
Samizdat. c. 1974. Pathfinder Press, one of
the best collections of Soviet dissident
writings), and Marilyn Vogt. who regularly
translates proscribed Russian writings and
writes articles on the democratic movement
in the Soviet Union. Ethically. ! have clearly
favored the position of the dissidents. The
editorial criteria of the DTH except in the
superficial sense - remain unknown to me.
but it would seem to me that they may lie
closer to "propaganda" and "editorializing"
than my own.
Evgeny Verlib does not agree with much
of the above analysis he once told me he
likes Carter - and he certainly does not
share my ideas on socialism. It was apparent
to me. however, where he got his idea of what
socialism is. As we were leaving my
apartment at the conclusion of the interview.
1 gave him a copy of The Militant, a socialist
newsweekly published in New York. He
leafed through it and looked up at me. "The
limited socialist trends in the United States
are very different from the obscurantist and
perverted forms of socialist development in
the Soviet Union, no?"
"Well." I replied, "socialism is the same
the world over. But I would agree with you
that the political system in the Soviet Union
is a perverted development. In fact, it is not
socialism at all. since it lacks democratic
political forms." (This exchange, by the way,
was also censored out of the article.)
In some of the above discussion of
journalism. I have tried to outline a general
process, not a draconian conspiracy or
mechanistic formula by which everything
becomes twisted or distorted. The truth can
often be obtained from the NelYork Times,
PravJa. oreven the Daily Tar Hcelzs longas
the reader is aware of inherent biases and
compares what is read with what is
experienced and nukes sense. This is
A little here,
a little there
Hx BRUCE T1NDALL
So Student Government (SG) "needs" a
fee increase? That sounds strangely familiar.
Just the other day. Southern Bell said it
"needs" a phone rate increase, and Carolina
Power and Light said it "needs" an electric
rate increase.
There's a TV commercial, made by the
consumer protection folks, in which a
talking dog explains to a little girl the
diflerence between "needing" something and
just "wanting" it. The commercial was
designed for children, but perhaps the
officials of SG and our public utilities might
learn something from watching it. too.
SG decided that it wanted a fee increase a
year and a half ago. But. in a referendum, the
student body said "no." Neither SG nor the
student body needed a fee increase then, and
neither needs it now.
If the Campus Governing Council (CGC)
would encourage organizations to do more
fund-raising on their own - if CGC would
stop knuckling under to groups which
demand "$10,000 or else." as happened last
year - if CGC would take a closer look at
who benefits from the groups it gives money
to in short, if CGC would be a little more
responsible in its spending of our money, no
fee increase would be "needed."
More, money should be given to
organizations which serve the student body
at large: WXYC: the Association for Women
Students (AWS): the North Carolina
Student Legislature (NCSL); the Fine Arts
Festival: and certain programs of the Black
Student Movement (BSM).
These funds can be had. without a fee
increase, by cutting down on what SG
spends on itself (have you ever seen their
plush Suite C offices, their fancy electric
typewriters, their fat phone budget?), and by
cutting back on small, special-interest
groups that could subsist on membership
dues and other fund-raising activities (for
instance, some of the small sports clubs or
graduate departmental societies).
What reasons does SG cite for"needing" a
fee increase? One CGC member told me that
WXYC would go off the air unless fees were
raised. Seems to me. though, that when
WXYC was first started, its promoters swore
up and down that establishing the station
would not require an increase in fees.
The Daily Tar Heel favors a fee increase
for all sorts of reasons, but leaves out the
most compelling one: for every $2 increase in
fees, the DTH automatically receives about
$6,500 more income.
Finally, it's argued that the fee increase
would produce a lot of income for
worthwhile organizations, while costing the
individual student only a little. But these
"litlle" increases mount up: a little more for
telephone, a little more for electricity, a little
more for tuition: a little more for expansion
of the Student Union building (yes, we
students are paying for that, too) and a
little more for the CGC.
These "little" increases add up, until the
average student has just a little cash left, and
less patience. It's enough to drive you to
drink except for the fact that your favorite
tavern has upped the price of Old
Frothingslosh. just a little bit.
Students who oppose the fee increase are
invited to an organizational meeting of
SAFE (Students Against Fees Excesses) at 8
p.m., Monday, Sept. 19. in the South Gallery
Meeting Room of the Carolina Union.
Bruce Tindall is a first year law student
from Chapel Hill, N.C.
probably easier to do. in fact, if the
newspaper is open about its bias, which
many are not. And this applies as well to the
individual writer, who communicates most
directly and honestly with the reader by
being open about any bias.
It is apparent from the examples I have
given that freedom of expression in this
country for those who favor progressive
changes has been circumscribed and eroded
in subtle ways, and sometimes in ways not so
subtle. 1 had a friendly discussion last year
with a Young Republican on this subject.
After reflecting on it, he related to me that
his grandmother had come to this country
from Nazi Germany. Over there, she said, if
you said anything against the government
you would be shot. But here, she
complained, you could stand up and say
anything you wanted to, but nobody would
listen!
Well, things are changing now, and people
are more open to new ideas. They are being
hurt by racism, inflation, cutbacks in
education budgets, low wages, anti-abortion
laws. etc.. and they are seeking rational
explanations and solutions. Fortunately,
there arc some sources of information
available which can help independent
minded people to judge for themselves what
is the real truth about such problems, in
contrast to the often half-baked and
distorted "truth" served up by the
establishment news media. If you are
interested. I can recommend such a source.
And there is also an organization on
campus the Young Socialist Alliance
(Box 121. Carrboro) wjiich students can
join if they want to study these issues and do
something about them. So if you believe in
fighting racism, sexism, and discrimination
against gays in the country and on this
campus; if you believe in supporting
democratic rights both in the West and the
East; if you are interested in struggles for
self-determination and liberation in South
Africa. Palestine, Ireland, the United tates
and around the world give me a call.
Because that is what socialism is all about.