4/EDITORIAL CAPITAL TIMES
September 4, 1992
Family values? Whose?
It looks like "traditional family values" will be the
rhetorical issue of this year's presidential campaign.
Each canditate presents the argument that regression back
to the family values of the Ozzie and Harriet years will cure
our nation's problems. But, while vice-president Quayle
preaches about the dangers of Murphy Brown's ficticious
out-of-wedlock pregnancy, and Bill Clinton brags about his
down-home roots in a small southern community, they both
overlook some details.
Neither candidate actually defines traditional family
values. Perhaps they can't define it, because it's only a
mythological movement intended to detract from important
issues such as unemployment, inaccessible health care, a
failing basic education system, and a growing population
living in poverty.
Another factor to consider is the diversified cultures that
comprise today's America. If we need to bring back
traditional family values, whose traditional values will we
follow?
American Indians, blacks, hispanics and caucasians each
follow their own traditions, which produce various value
systems.
What we do need from our candidates is leadership in
managing government effectively, which should help protect
us from greedy bankers, insurance shysters, and polluters.
What we don't need from our leaders is interference into
our private lives. There is no need for our political leaders
to establish morals -- we have religion to carry out that job.
Just, please, keep it in the pulpit and out of the political
campaigns.
CORRECTION:
An article in the April 20 issue
Capital Times erroneously described a
contract between the city of Harrrisburg
and Penn State Harrisburg.
The city's contract is with the
Institute of State and Regional Affairs.
The contract with the Institute does not
include the survey described in the story.
The city of Harrisburg itself is carrying
out that survey.
The Institute is developing a
background report that collects
information Harrisburg is using to
Capital, Times
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
NEWS EDITOR
PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
PoOaL 0,1001:1
Capital Thrum is published by students of Penn State Harrisburg. Concerns regarding the con
tent or any Issue should be directed to the editor In room W-341 of the Olmsted Building or by call-
ing 944.4970. Opinions expressed are those of the author and are not representative of the college
administration, faculty or student body. Capital Times welcomes signed letters from readers. No
unsigned submissions will be printed; however, a writer's name may be withheld upon request.
Ann Feeney-llcaovern
Midway( Stone
Stacey Simmers
nickaet Starkey
Trev Stair
COPY EDITOR
STAFF ARTIST
Tim Snow,'
Jason Scmdkaus
Matt Hunt
Lisa. 71.atask.
Notate Zeckman.
13r. Peter Parisi
ADVISOR
Ann reeney-Ttcaovern
td,i,tor-tn-Chtef
develop a comprehensive plan to make
the city a better place to live.
The institute report gathers secondary
information, such as census data, state
fiscal reports, the state and Harrisburg
budgets, reports from organizations such
as the Capital Region Economic
Development Corp., Tri-County
Planning Association and comprehensive
plans from the counties involved in the
survey. Those counties are Dauphin,
Cumberland, Perry, Lebanon and
northern York.
Nobody's perfect
Michael Stone
Capital Times Staff
I have never been one to write an
editorial, but circumstances have forced me
to become vocal.
A story ran in our final edition last
spring (April 20, 1992) which contained
some errors. We have attempted to rectify
the situation by running a correction.
However, we received a letter to the
editor which contained some sobering
comments which I would like to address.
The letter mentioned that, "[the story]
had significant errors....[the reporter] did a
very poor job in his/her interview..." and
was "based on a story in The Patriot-
News."
It further went on to say that we should
"impress on our reporters that accuracy in
reporting is imperative. Printing correct
ions does not overcome an impression that
is left when something is wrong."
The letter concluded with: "If your
people aspire to a career in journalism,
one of the first qualities they should
develop and cherish is pride in their work.
And that means getting the facts, getting
them right and presenting them accurately.
In this story, your reporter failed on all
counts. That does not inspire one with a
great deal of confidence in the Capital
Times."
I would like to address some issues we,
as student journalists, face working for
this campus newspaper.
First of all, funding is limited (as it is
everywhere on this campus), and this
prevents us from using up-to-date
computers, printing with colors and
publishing more than once every three
weeks. Since it is not feasible for us to
publish daily, weekly, or bi-weekly, we
must search for significant stories--stories
which involve a lot of work and research,
not just reporting what the weather was
like yesterday or what the dining hall is
serving as a daily paper would.
And when we must research the stories
we want to cover. we run into problems.
The "big name" subjects in our stories,
not to mention a good portion of the
univeristy faculty, are uncooperative when
we request information or interviews.
Companies see us as a "once-every
three-weeks, small-campus paper" and
make us resort to leaving hundreds of
unanswered phone calls. Some of the
campus and university faculty and staff are
above giving us an interview or
information for reasons beyond my
understanding. Now, there are some very
nice and very cooperative people that we
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deal with and have used in the past. But
it's the few that spoil our minds when we
are challenged.
When we travel to the Heindel Library
to do research, we are met with the
overcrowding and lack of materials that.
students face everyday. It is very
discouraging to be told the information we
need now can be sent to us from
University Park next week. You'll see
stories that say ho'w funding is so low and
that the library must wait, but the Pattee
Library at State College and Beaver
Stadium have no probleMs getting the
millions of dollars for expansion.
It also seems that our mistakes are
viewed as intentional and we slither away
via a correction. I read of •• ii
today and saw the correction box filled
with four items. I consider that a fine
publication and do not hold minor errors
against °it.
And unlike "real" newspapers (even the
Collegian), we are not paid for our efforts.
Most of us do not receive class credit for
our work, either. Yes, we do it out of the
love we have for news and the desire we
have to write.
Some of our reporting occasionally
contains an error. Errors happen. Jour
nalists are human, and when a mistake
occurs, it sometimes passes the "no less
than" ten people who will read it before it
makes it to the final print.
I welcome new staff people that are
scared to enter the world of journalism,
but accept the challenge so they might
learn through their efforts. After working
hard on a story, the greatest award is to see
it in print the following day.
We, as journalists, want the same from
ourselves that you expect from us. It is
sometimes difficult to live up to every
expectation when the outside world, like
our families, the election, school work,
the job situation and the economy, come
crashing through the defense walls we put
up.
I hope that our occasional, un
intentional mistake does not ruin the
integrity of our staff or the newspaper we
work so hard to keep alive, even when
most people tell us to pack it in.
I shudder to think what our world
would be like if renowned journalists such
as Art Buchwald, William Buckley, Nancy
Eshelman, Dave Barry, Tony Perry,
Jimmy Breslin, Edna Buchanan, Jack
Anderson, Jean Kirkpatrick, and Mike
Royko, gave up after erring once or twice,
instead of trudging on through the pressure
and persevering to the road of success.
Star