2
By PAMELA AARON .
Staff Correspondent
to delight the senses.
color of the rainbow.
size paper mache rabbit.
stores to visit in the area.
convenience.
and
By HOWARD J. GROSSMAN
Special to The Dallas Post
~ In a powerful and persuasive
book, journalist and author Ben J.
Wattenberg suggests that the major
thrust of journalistic behavior today
revolves around the spreading of
bad news, much of which is based
on perception and false assump-
tions, and not based on reality.
Thus, in his book, ‘The Good
page of data on issues such as
quality of life, standard of living,
values, politics, and a final section
on media, all of which is designed to
show truths rather than the bad
news glittering generalities which
he believes pervades our life today.
He argues that our environmental
quality is substantially improved
over what it was 20 years, ago
despite the massive headlines about
the epidemic of hazardous waste.
Our national design to. eliminate
cancer is moving forward rapidly,
pharmaceutical progress has been
amazing despite the headlines with
respect to cases where drugs have
proven to be ineffective, our popula-
tion growth is now what the fore-
casters suggested several decades
ago; that is, we are growing at a
running out of resources as articles
seem to tell us, and so forth.
In effect, what Wattenberg is
saying is that the doom and gloom
soothsayer is not a culture we
should depend upon, and in fact,
presents a completely false picture
of what reality and facts seem to
paint about the United States.
Wattenberg goes further by point-
ing out that good news becomes
_ hidden news and bad news becomes
visible and headline news. For
example, he points out with respect
to the population explosion, the fol-
lowing:
“If it was bad news that our
population was exploding, big news
that extra population polluted our
environment and gobbled up our
“resources, then surely it must be
good news when such a threat is
removed or diminished.
Accordingly, we might have
xpected to hear the environmental
community announce that fact with
vigor. Nor would it be unfair to
expect that such development would
have been explained in our newspa-
pers and on our television sets. It
‘was not.”
He goes further to say that ‘we are
becoming the first universal nation
in history.”
Immigration has given us tremen-
dous blessings, he concludes, and
the continuing wave of internation-
alism which floats across America
is an exciting an everychanging
dynamic which makes the poetic
song of free people become reality.
Wattenberg suggests that the
media turns this positive force into
a negative with headlines and sto-
ries about illegal entries into the
people, problems with different cul-
tures attempting to blend in with
our existing way oflife, and more.
In saying this, he does not ignore
‘so-called bad news is of lower order
than the good news which a mixed
~ culture can bring to the nation.
Much like the examples cited in
Wattenberg’s book, Northeastern
Pennsylvania very often pervades a
bad news syndrome. This can, and
has been counter-productive to the
efforts which have consistently
attempted to improve the economic
base of the region. While bad news
needs to be discussed and debated,
good news needs to be equally
discussed and debated.
The problem is that many people
in Northeastern Pennsylvania con-
stantly thrive on downing the region
or their neighborhood while resist-
ing opportunities to pervade good
news and the reality of what
changes have taken place after
much hard work on the part of
many fine people.
What is required is a balance, not
a one-sided good news-bad news
pendulum. The powerful influences
of the media can be utilized for
positive and constructive reform, as
well as transmitting information of
a day-to-day nature of importance
to people. On the other hand, the
pendulum, if swung continuously
Holding pen
completed.
Thus, much of what is said on a
national scale by Wattenberg is
directly applicable to Northeastern
Pennsylvania. The region’s good
news is that much of the bad news
is not based on foundation or fact.
While our problems are real, and
our unemployment figures are too
high, and our image is bad, the
problems are reducible, the unem-
ployment rate is not as bad as it
was, and our quality of life and
attitudes are not as bad as people
think they are.
Unfortunately, perception is often
a more persuasive fact than truth or
evidence. The circle of so-called
truth becomes embedded in the
minds of people as the word goes
forth about an event which becomes
big, bad news for a few days with
generalizations made that the par-
ticular event, or even series of
events. is a regional, state or
national truism.’ yl
Accountability and accuracy are
two important ingredients for any
organization or individual. A doom
and gloom strategy, especially one
which carries with it distortions and
unsbustantiated conclusions does a
tremendous dis-service to any posi-
tive effort to make constructive and
postive changes.
While Wattenberg’s thesis can be
challenged, at least in part, since no
single book can carry all of the
evidence necessary to support a
completely rosy picture of the
United States, his premise does
make much sense.
Carrying his premise to a scale of
Northeastern Pennsylvania suggests
that the region requires a redou-
bling of effort to market its assets
in a very real and positive sense.
Many of the assets have been by-
passed in the onrush to concentrate
on solving problems.
Both problems and assets must be
entered into concurrently and
actions taken to achieve a realistic
assessment and production of
values which will enhance the
Pocono Northeast quality of life.
The goal of Northeastern Pennsyl-
vania should be to make the good
news so important that it removes
and the minds of the region’s citi-
zens and becomes the driving force
for community improvement in
coming years.
(Howard Grossman is the execu-
tive director of the Economic Devel-
opment Council of Northeastern
Pennsylvania.)
Tie SPALLASCP0ST
2 (USPS 147-780)
An independeat newspaper pub-
lished each Wednesday by Penna-
print, Inc. from Route 309 - 415
Plaza, P.0. Box 366, Dallas, Pa.
under the act of March 3, 1889.
Subscription rates are $12 per
year in Pennsylvania and $14 per
year out of state. Swbscriptions must
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| Newsstand rate is 25 cents per copy.
Dallas Post/Ed Campbell
Concert set
The Dallas Intermediate School Band will present a concert on Wednesday, May 15, at 7 p.m.
in the Intermediate School. Sixty-five students will participate in the full band, as well as fifth
and sixth grade units. The band is under the direction of Reese E. Pelton. The public is invited
to attend the concert.
FREE ACID RAIN SEMINAR!
Learn the dangers of acid rain to your swimming pool
7:15 P.M., Tues., May 14, 1985
‘THE COMMONS’ at NICHOL’S VILLAGE, rt. 6 & 11, CHINCHILLA
limited seating—call now—reservations only ¢ 586-9686
FEATURED SPEAKER ¢ ALEXANDER CZENCZ
the EZ CLOR ‘CHEMISTRY WIZARD’
LEARN ABOUT:
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$5.00 per person. Coupon given at the door. Redeemable at seminar.
Can be used at QUALITY POOLS DISCOUNT STORES.
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SOUTHFORK FLORAL
17 Memorial Highway
Fresh Flowers Corsages Silk Flowers
i Dish Gardens Baskets of Violets Plants
Fresh or Silk Arrangements in antiques
Order Early
: HARRY TROY
Harry M. Troy, 81, of 30 Saginaw
St., Dallas, died May 3 at his home
following a lengthy illness.
Surviving are a daughter, Mrs.
Norma Cohen, Cranford, N.J.; son,
Richard, Union N.J.; four grand-
children.
Funeral services were held May 5
from the Rosenberg Funeral
Chapel, Wilkes-Barre., with Rabbi
Usher Freed of the United Orthodox
Synagogue officiating. Interment,
Holche Yosher Cemetery, Lee Park.
OLGA TORTORELLA
Mrs. Olga Tortorella, 69, Harveys
Lake, died May 4 at Wilkes-Barre
General Hospital.
Surviving are her husband,
Joseph; son, William, Plantation,
Fla.; dughter, Mrs. Jean Pawleski,
Scranton; brother, Stephen Tow-
nend, Long Island, N.Y.; one grand-
son.
Funeral services were held May 7
from the Disque Funeral Home,
Dallas, with a Mass of Christian
Burial in Our Lady of Victory
Church, Harveys Lake, with the
Rev. George A. Jeffrey as cele-
brant. Interment, Chapel Lawn
Memorial Park, Dallas.
GERTRUDE PERREGO
Mrs. Gertrude Perrego, 84, of 2 1/
2 Strand St., Lee Park, Hanover
Township, a native of Shavertown,
died April 26 at the Mercy Hospital,
Wilkes-Barre.
Surviving are sons, Ralph,
Truckxville; Elmer, Lee Park;
David, Chase; 11 grandchildren; 13
great-grandchildren.
Private funeral services were
held from the Richard H. Disque
Funeral Home, Dallas, with the
Rev. James A. Wert, pastor of the
Shavertown United Methodist
Church, officiating. Interment,
Evergreen Cemetery, Shavertown.
C. BURTON MAJOR
C. Burton Major, 84, of Meeker
Road, Lehman, died April 25 in the
Wilkes-Barre General Hospital
shortly after admission.
Surviving are numerous nieces
and nephews.
Graveside services were held
April 27 in te Lehman Center Ceme-
tery with the Rev. Michael Sham-
bora, pastor of the Lehman United
Methodist Church, officaiting.
MICHAEL GAGATEK
St., Shavertown, died April 30 at
home.
Surviving are his chidlren,
Edward, Swoyersville; Mrs. Marga-
ret Doty, Wyoming; Mrs. Marlene
Danouski, Shavertown; Thomas,
Wilkes-Barre; sister, Mrs. Helen
Urkewich, Buffalo, N.Y.; 11 grand-
children and two great-grandchil-
dren. 7
Funeral services were held May 3
from the Kopicki Funeral Home,
Kingston, with a Mass of Christian
Burial in St. John the Baptist
Church, Larksville.
CHARLES MITCHELL
Charles (Bud) Mitchell, 62, of RD
1, Dallas, died May 6 at home.
Surviving are his wife, the former
Eunice Smith; daughter, Mrs.
Gloria Chmiola, Harrisburg; sons,
Ronald, Middletown; Gary, Kunkle;
David, at home; six grandchildren;
sister, Mrs. Carol G. Hilbert,
Kunkle; brothers, Robert and
Roger, both of Kunkle; Richard,
North Carolina.
Funeral services will be held May
9 at 11 a.m. from the Nulton
Funeral Home, Beaumont, with the
Rev. Pegg A. Richards, pastor of
the Kunkle United Methodist
Church, officiating. Interment will
be in Chapel Lawn Memorial Prk,
4and 7 to 9 p.m.
Kingston Township will be offer-
ing residents of the Township a
Spring Clean Up Program to begin
on May 6 and continue until May 18.
The Clean Up Program will be
different then in past years due to
the time needed to conduct the
clean up door to door and the costs
of disposal of the clean up items.
This year the program will ‘offer
any Township resident the opportun-
ity to bring permitted clean up
items to the Township Maintenance
Building located on East Center
Street, Shavertown. Clean up items
will be deposited in large dumpster
type containers. The gates to the
Services set
Memorial services will be held at
Centermoreland Methodist Church
on May 12, at 2 p.m. for Daniel
Schoonover of Orlando, Florida.
Danny was the son of George and
Ola Mae Schoonover of Centermore-
land.
He was a member of Centermore-
land. Methodist Church, born Oct.
21, 1957 ‘died April 27 in Orlando,
Fla. after a nine month illness.
Surviving in addition to his par-
ents are his borther, George of
Havenford, West Wales; sister,
Becky, of Orlando, Florida; mater-
nal grandmother, Mrs. Ernest Mon-
tross, maternal great-grandmother,
Mrs. Nellie Shook of Centermore-
land and several other relatives in
Centermoreland area.
adidas =4<
X
PHONE 822-6362
Mon-Thurs-Fri. 9 am-9 pm
Tues-Wed-Sat. 9 am-6 pm
Near the Light
Corner Corey ond Main Streets
Adidas T-Shirts $4.97 and up
V-Neck (Poly/Cotton) *9.97 and up
Adidas Mexico Short $12.97 and up
Maintenance Building will be
opened Monday through Friday 7
a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m.
to 5 p.m. There will be no permitted
depositing of clean’ up items on
Sunday, May 12. Only Kingston
Township residents will be permit-
ted to participate in this program,
proof of residency will be required.
Items not permitted will be:
washers, dryers, refrigerators, tele-
vision sets, hot water heaters, boil-
ers, furnaces, stoves, or large appli-
ances. No tree stumps, concrete or
rock or household garbage.
Please clip this notice for your
reference at a later date.
BENEFITS,
INC.
1-800-628-7500
AVAILABLE 24 HOURS
Call For Free Consultation
adidas,
Boys T-Shirts 4.97 andup
Boys V-Neck
(Poly/Cotton) $7.97 and up
N Adidas Shorts $5.97 and up
Boys
PHONE 824-8880
Mon. thru Fri. 10-9 Sat. 9 to 6
Sunday 12-5
Corner Spring ond
Mundy Streets
Ja
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