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THE BEHREND , at
BEA C 0 N
Friday, January 27, 2006
y4,A,c,
Behrend lecturer and radio personality subpoenaed in Filippi case
By Nicholas Underhill
staff writer
nru I (X)(a'psu edu
Penn State Erie's journalism professor Kim Young
may soon find herself in a court of law after recent
ly being added to the witness list for the upcoming
trial of former Erie Mayor, Rick Filippi. Young con
ducted an exclusive interview with the former
Mayor on Jan. 18, 2006 for WQLN, and now the
state is trying to find what exactly, if anything, for
mer Mayor Filippi may have said to Young off the
record.
It is quite possible that Young, a journalist for 25
years who is "very passionate" about her work,
could face jail time if she refuses to reveal informa
tion may have been given to her in confidence.
Young states, "I would protect any and all private
conversations given off the record and any conversa
tions I had with a source." She continues by adding.
"I will not answer anything without the advice of
legal counsel, so I will know exactly how to
respond." When asked if she would be ready to go
to jail, Young replied, "Absolutely." Young says she
believes if she were to cooperate that she would be
jeopardizing her future as a journalist. "If I went on
the stand and violated the trust of a source, who
Getting booked on Facebook.com
By Rachael Conway
After an exciting weekend of partying on campus and
hitting the bar scene, many students are eager to create a
new photo album for their Facebook profiles to showcase
their drunken moments. While it might be funny to post
pictures of your friend doing a keg-stand or of yourself
after doing 21 shots on your birthday, posting these pic
tures, along with other personal information, can poten
tially be a Very harmful thing to do.
More than 8.5 million college students visit
Facebook.com each month, and students need to
be aware that personal information and pictures mation about students to
that are posted on websites like Facebook.com
and Myspace.com can be viewed by college marketers and can use and
Contents
News..
Editorial....
Humor
Student Life
Sports
Contact Us
Newsroom
898-6488
Fax:
898-6019
E-mail:
editorinchief@psu.edu
Our offices are located down
stairs in the Reed Union
Building.
copy editor
rkc I 35 (d' psu.edu
adminis-
trators and display their contributions,
u 'ture including photos."
t
employ
e r s .
According
cle published in
The Washington
Post on Jan. 16,
"Facebook can
sell information
about students to
marketers and can
use and display
their contribu
tions, including
photos
Facebook.com
and Myspace.com
are not the only
problem; any kind
of blog or online
journal should be
used with caution
Gametap taps college garners
...1-3
Young adults have a new option for playing the games
they grew up with. A program provided by Turner
Broadcasting called Gametap allows subscribers to play
games from various consoles and gaming systems. The
games are from multiple genres and include games
from as early as 1981. Age old favorites such as
Pacman are available, as well as titles more recent
such as "Prince of Persia, The Sands of Time."
Gametap offers over 350 games on multiple gam
ing consoles for garners of all ages to enjoy.
Gametap General Manager Stuart Snyder writes
"Our goal is to create the ultimate gaming network
- a one stop shop - for everyone from the casual
gamer to gaming experts." Gametap has certainly
seemed to create the ultimate gaming network for
their clients, offering a graphical user interface
(GUI) system that operates each console within
itself
7-8
...9-10
For many years garners have used programs
known as ROMS and Emulators to imitate a game
console using a computer. The "emulator" recre-
would ever talk to me again'?
If Young were to go to jail for
contempt of court, it would not be
the first time a journalist has been
imprisoned. Judith Miller was
recently jailed on July 5, 2005 for
refusing to give up a source in front
of a grand jury that was looking into
the leak of a CIA agent's identity.
Many journalists believe that
being asked about information given
in confidentiality is a violation of
their first amendment rights, which
grant freedom of the press and pro
tection from government interfer
ence. Dr. Speel, the head of the
Political Science department,
explains that this belief is incorrect.
"There is nothing in the first
amendment providing blanket confi
dentiality for a journalist and Ibis or
her] source. Journalists have often
refused to testify at trials and hear
ings to protect sources but have been
required by judges to testify anyhow." He continues
by stating. "I do not feel that asking a journalist to
testify about off-the-record conversations violates
because posting personal information can be potentially
dangerous
In 2005, many Penn State students were apprehended
by the police for illegally rushing the field after a victory
by the football team. They were not caught at the game,
however. Some of these students proudly joined the
Facebook group, Rushed the Field After the OSU Game
(And Lived)!" The police used Facebook.com and this
group as a tool to catch the perpetrators.
Some students are far too open when posting informa
tion about their lives. It is one thing to list favorite movies
"Facebook can sell infor-
-Washington Post
gain access
to sites like these and view this personal information.
College students sometimes take part in immature or
illegal acts due to peer pressure or for attention. Pictures
of things like this are commonly posted on personal blogs
in order to get a reaction from peers or to get validation.
These kinds of acts include underage and/or binge drink
ing and dressing provocatively. Future employers can
access these sites, and an inappropriate blog could poten
tially cost you a job.
A good rule of thumb to think about the next time you
are creating an online photo album or writing about your
weekend is: would you want your grandmother or future
boss to see or read it? If the answer is no, then it would
be in the best interest of your personal safety, profession
al future and reputation in general to just keep it to your
self. Use your brain and make smart decisions. (But if
you are really, really proud of that keg-stand, you could
carry the picture around in your pocket.)
By Robert Frank
managing editor
managingeditorqvpsu.cdu
A Penn State Erie Student Publication
imberl Youn! is to testif in the Fili
to be informed
about issues that would have never come to light
otherwise, such as "criminal or sleazy dealings by
government officials." He also feels that individuals
Brokeback backlash
Brokeback Mountain, staring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal and directed by Ang Lee,
is a low budget, highly publicized Western film about two homosexual cowboys and their pas
sionate love story in Wyoming. This seems like a typical movie you would find in the year
2006; however, states like Utah are not permitting this film to be viewed. Some celeberties like
Randy Jackson on American Idol are poking fun at the film. For instance, when Jackson stat
ed the phrases, "How do I quit you Simon," which was taken straight from the film with a char
acter name change.
or televi-
sion shows
but it is
another
thing to list
addresses
There has been much publicity over this film because of its blunt approach to the love
between two male characters. Top media fig
ures including George W. Bush and Jay Leno
have focused on this new possible box office
hit
and phone
numbers
College stu
dents need
to realize
When Bush was asked his opinion at Kansas
State University, he simply stated, "I haven't
seen it...l'd be glad to talk about ranching, but
I haven't seen the movie...l've heard about it."
Jay Leno is having "gay cowboys on his show".
The USA Today asked, "What's so funny?"
Many people in society are uncomfortable
with the film's homosexual overtones. Eighth
semester Penn State Erie student, Brooke
Springer said that while she most likely won't be attending the film in theaters, "It [the subject
matter] would be a reason to see it, because it's the first high profile film on the subject. -
Springer makes a valid point there. The film was purposely produced on a low budget, so
the American public would slowly be exposed to its controversial nature according to the Until
Today publication. But the push of two high profile main characters, Ledger and Gyllenhall.
obviously made that plan impossible and forced Brokeback Mountain into blockbuster status.
Jokes will be made. San Antonio TV anchor Chris Marrou stated, "Why didn't they just give
one of those guys from Brokeback Mountain best actress?" Others will share the same opinion
Earl Gordon of Penn State Erie has, "It's not my type of movie, I'm more into action." The
film will be accredited with the praise it deserves for the talent contained in this feature.
that anyone
can easily
aces the console using a software program, then a ROM
is loaded into that software. The end result is the video
game as it was originally intended to be played. Behrend
students are among the groups of gamers that have used
emulators for years. Jon Paul a tenth semester Physics
major says that Gametap doesn't interest him as a gamer.
"You can download the emulators for free anyway," he
states, showing his disinterest in the service. He also
freedom of the
press. Freedom of
the press allows for
journalists to
report to the public
about anything
without the threat
of censorship or
restraint
(attempts by gov
ernment to stop
news coverage)."
Dr. Speel is not
quite sure how he
feels about the
issue and explains
that there are two
sides of the issue to
consider. He states
that allowing jour
nalists to protect
their sources
allows the public
The new release of Brokeback Mountain is pushing the moral limits of some American
participating in criminal activity should not be pro
tected by the press. "If a source requests a journalist
to speak off the record and then the source tells the
journalist of a murder committed, should the jour
nalist be allowed to protect the confidentiality of that
information?"
Former Mayor Filippi, law partner Roll Patherg.
and campaign manager Eric Purchase were official
ly charged on Dec. 8, 2004 after using inside infor
mation in an attempt to profit from the purchase of
four properties near the former site of Harnmermill.
Filippi was lobbying for M-T-R Gaming of West
Virgina to develop the location of the vacant indus
trial lot into a horse racing track and casino. While
he was working on this, Aiko Acquisition LLC. a
company owned and operated by his associates. was
acquiring real estate adjacent to the site. After the
Times News broke the story, the group sold the land
for a $7OO loss after purchasing it for $164950.
Filippi is being accused of investing $B,OOO in the
company.
The trial, originally scheduled to take place in
Erie, has been moved to Washington County after
Judge Ernest DiSantis ruled that a hometown jury
would be influenced by all of the publicity the case
would create. The trial is scheduled to begin March
13.
By Emily Zimmerman
staff writer
eg/50000ery,u.edu
added "Why would I pay for something that I have all
the original cartidges of." Eric Bell, an eighth semester
Math major, expressed several disinterests with
Gametap. "It [Gametap] is over-priced and has a limit
ed supply of games." He also added, "If you're on dial
up its worthless." Despite criticisms from Behrend stu
dents, Gametap and Turner Broadcasting managed to
receive a Best in Show award from the Electronics
Entertainment Expo (E 3) at the October 2005
convention. Game Tap General Manager
Stuart Snyder also added "Game Tap puts an
entire library worth of games-both current and
classic -at your finger tips. The game commu
nity, and for that matter the Internet itself, has
never seen anything like it."
In addition to the games offered on
Gametap the program also has a feature called
the "Mediaplex." In the Mediaplex, gamers
can learn fun factoids about their favorite con
soles and games, as well as watch video inter
views and shorts related to the gaming indus
try. All of these services are available for a
two week free trial period. After that sub
scribers are charged a small monthly fee for
their use of the program.
Vol. LIII No. 18