Editorials
We must ask the hard question
Walk through an issue in my
shoes. As editor of a
newspaper, you’ll be amazed at
what you will learn.
After the November issue
came out, for example, I was
summoned to a senior ad
ministrator’s office and told my
treatment of a story was
“ungracious.” Many
others—students and faculty
alike—stopped me in the halls
to say the same story was
“outstanding.” Some said it
was “too aggressive” while
others thought it was “timely.”
That’s life. You soon learn
that controversy couples with
journalism. A story one person
praises, another questions why
it was ever put into print.
So how can you know what is
right? Sometimes you can’t.
Not always. Not on every story.
The best you can do is to set
standards and try to live up to
them.
And as I’ve learned, the first
standard of a newspaper, and
the only one that really counts,
is to present all of the facts.
Former fans turned off to NFL return
Robert Rejmaniak
Now that the National
Football League teams have
gone back to work, the
American football fan can once
fsßnrywt
Himes
Published by the students of the Capitol Campus of The Pennsylvania State
University, Middletown, PA, 17057. PHONE: (717) 9444970.
Executive Editor
Editor
Production Manager
Layout Assistant
Photography Editor
Sports Editor
Copy Editor
Business Manager ..
Adviser
Monica Auld
Annette Bux-Cremo
Thomas Dekle
Judith Faruquee
Joe Guberman
Kim Guzzi
Donna Kirker
The CAPTIOL TIMES welcomes letters from readers. Letters intended for publication must indicate
the writer's college affiliation, if any. All letters MUST be signed by the writer. Unsigned letters cannot
be printed. A writer's name may be withheld upon request. Letters should be typewritten and double
spaced; and, any material that is libelous or does not conform topublicafion standards may be edited or
rejected.
The assumption is that an in
formed public can make the
right decisions if each in
dividual has enough facts.
That’s essential. I learned
that three years ago on the day
of the TMI accident. I was here
on campus at a seminar and
nobody told anyone about the
problem. My children were in a
Lancaster school and no one
told the teachers to keep the
children inside for recess.
Because the facts were
again enjoy watching his
favorite team compete every
weekend. Or can he? Not
according to Capitol Campus
football fans.
Usually there are crowds of
STAFF MEMBERS
Vol. 17, No. 3
December 6,1982
Pat Wenger
George P. Yanoshik, Jr.
Jerry Trently, Jr.
Betsy Sheehan
Joe Hart
Robert Rejmaniak
Barbara Myers
. Charles R. Cobourn, 111
AI Lee
James P. Kushlan
Marsha L. Larsen
Sheryi Machita
Mike Markle
William Negley
Marcia Rogers
Bud Smith
withheld, many people could
have had a significant dose of
radiation. They may also have
been able to protect themselves
if they were informed.
Serving up the facts isn’t
easy. As Dr. Walter Brasch,
Bloomsburg State College Jour
nalism professor, said here in
his recent lecture on ethics in
media: “The easiest thing in
the world is to take handouts.
It’s our responsibility to search
for the facts and find the
truth.”
So you have to ask the hard
questions—to bolster up your
courage and ask the new presi
dent of Penn State about nis
friendship with his predecessor,
or when necessary , to challenge
the very organization that pays
for the newspaper. As editor,
you have to keep readers in
formed even on subjects they
feel are unpleasant such as the
Three Mile Island issue.
Yes, getting the facts even
means being ungracious.
As editor you learn that if you
are ungracious enough, you will
viewers in front of the TV set in
the lounges of the various
dormitory floors come kick-off
time every week. This has not
been the case since the strike
has ended.
Roger Lloyd, a first floor
Wrisberg resident, was one of
the few who still remained a
spectator. After a 57-day strike
why was he still looking on? “I
like to keep up with it,” Lloyd
says, “but it’s just not the
same.”
This reflects the feelings of
most of the football fans across
America.
“The quality of play has not
been there since the strike,”
Lloyd says.
Lloyd’s argument can be
found just by looking at the way
the games nave been played so
far. For example, the
Minnesota Vikings had only 25
yards rushing in their first
game back, and 110 yards
rushing overall since the ending
of the strike.
It seems that the interest in
all pro football has dissipated
almost completely. So much so,
that some fans have elected to
Oopsl
In our November Capitol
Times, Meade Heights article,
JoAnn Nesgoda should have
been JoAnn Coleman. In the
same issue, the headline con
cerning Jordan’s selection on
page 18 should have read:
be serving your readers by
keeping mem informed. You
won’t always do it right, of
course. The responsibility is so
great that you’ll often feel it is
impossible to fill the editor’s
shoes. That’s also part of the
job.
stop watching the games
entirely.
One of these people is William
Rinehimer, a Wrisberg Hall
resident: “The NFL is nothing
right now. I’m more interested
in the college bowl games at
this point.”
It seems that NFL
commissioner Pete Rozelle did
not contemplate this fan
reaction. Major League
Baseball may have gotten away
with their long summer’s strike
without too much damage, but
the NFL may have lost some of
their audience. Many fans have
gotten caught up with the
colleges and won’t return to
theNFL until next season, if
they return at all.
No matter how the season
ends, there are not going to be
too many fans left who care all
that much. Looking at the
number of injuries inflicted and
the way the teams have been
performing on the field, maybe
it would be better to pack it up
until next fall.
Either way, this is one fan
who will be tuned in to the
college games come January.
“Jordan selected without com
mittee interview.”
In the November 22nd Lion’s
Tale, Robert H. Hamill, Career
Planning and Placement
specialist mentioned in the
“Help Available” article, was
incorrectly referred to as
Richard Hamilton. We goofed.
Page 6