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md J 5 i, "A Family Tradition for 131 Years" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, December 2, 1997 - 7 -- -- I _ETTERS Choosing sides in a war of words To the Editor: In response to Grant Laird's letter, Nov. 25, re: Port Perry This Week's coverage of Howard Hall's incident. I am in my last year of Journalism at Durham College, so I know a little about the deci- sions that a newspaper has to make and the ethics it must stand by. From what I under- stand so far, this is not an easy task. Each paper is different, as are the people who write and report for it, therefore, the con- tent of each paper is bound to vary. This is a good thing, because each individual in the communi- ty is different and deserves to have more than one newspaper to choose to read and form an opinion from. What the Port Perry Star feels is worthy of front page may be different from what the Port Perry This Week feels is front page material, but at least we, as readers, have the option to choose which paper we want to read. True, the Star decided it would not put the story about Howard Hall's 'incident' on the front page, but that's their deci- sion. It doesn't necessarily mean it was the right one and it doesn't necessarily mean it was the wrong one either. It is not an easy decision when something of that nature comes up, especially when it concerns someone of Hall's stature, but it is the truth and it must be told. What this 'inci- dent' consisted of was a promi- nent public figure who made a mistake, but was damn lucky the only thing he lost that night was his political career. We are all thankful that it wasn't more serious, but if it had been, then would anyone have said any- thing about it being on the front page? Where is the line drawn? You can only stay in touch with the 'pulse and sensitivity of our community' for so long before the news becomes a little slant- ed. Neither the Port Perry Star or the Port Perry This Week are perfect, but they are both respectable newspapers. I am, though, curious about how the Star has difficulty printing a story that releases a legal adult offender's identity after he was charged and arrested for smashing a brick through a window, yet it has lit- tle trouble printing a letter that outright discredits the competi- tion's newspaper and disre- spects its reporters, simply because their journalistic ethics differ from the Star's. The 'shin- ing' Port Perry Star that Mr Laird praises should not be too proud of themselves for that. I do understand that the Star, as indicated in last week's editorial, doesn't like to print names unless they can follow up the story to make sure the per- son named was actually guilty. But when does it become less about that and more about pro- tecting the offender and their reputation around town? We may live in a small com- munity, but it's growing fast. There is plenty of room in Port Perry for two newspapers, and I think the competition is healthy. Competition ensures the readers of both papers that they are getting the best and most honest portrayal of the news possible. I personally read both newspapers every week and I keep my mind open to opinions in both papers, no mat- ter how different they are. I don't think a person can expect to read only one newspaper and still get the best coverage of the news; I think it's rather unreal- 1stic. As for Mr. Laird's comments about it being "a sad day for Scugog when the Citizen crashed and burned and Port Perry This Week rose from it", I think he should reconsider that comment. Of course he is enti- tled to his opinion as is everyone else, but it is unfair to condemn a newspaper just because he feels they made a mistake. Whether they did or not, all reporters are human, and all humans make mistakes. True, the Port Perry Star is a well respected paper in our com- munity and has been around for many more years that Port Perry This Week, but a commu- nity cannot thrive off of the views and editorials of one paper alone. Both papers have their admirable qualities and, at times, both have their less than admirable qualities. You'd think that if Port Perry can handle the competition of three grocery stores and anoth- er coffee shop to add to the existing half a dozen or so, another newspaper should not be all that hard to accept. Kristi van Kessel RR#1, Port Perry Students' efforts appreciated From page 6 'Relations'. On this evening it was evi- dent that the personal and pub- lic relations of these young peo- ple were being developed to a high degree. Teachers and stu- dents regularly spend long hours out of the classroom in the very important extra-curricular programs of the school. These young citizens are to be congratulated for having a social conscience which permit them to jump the generation gap and socialize with adult seniors in their community. This genera- tion jump' is easy to do, mathe- matically, if you just reverse the digits in the respective groups. The younger ones were about 18 years of age, while some of the older ones could be in the 81 age group. But the strongest bond for the mutpal respect and empathy of one age group for the other is formed when persons, like these '4R' students, develop sound per- sonal and social relationships each for the other. The students, with the help of staff, had considerable experi- ence in arranging all the details. The seniors enjoyed the hos- pitality and wish to sincerely thank the students and staff for the time, effort and care which they contributed to make this an enjoyable evening. Stan Rickard Port Perry Editor's Notepad SOYBEAN FUTURES ON RISE BIG, BIG NEWS: Hi folks, it's great to be back! ...Took a bit of a hiatus the last couple of weeks to accommodate the huge number of letters we've been receiving, but this week | have to interrupt to fill you in on the big, big news I've received. The Dixon company in Newmarket -- remember their pencil factory on Davis Drive? -- sent me a press release to let me know about the Prang Fun Pro, a new crayon they've developed that's made from soybean oil. Company president Tim Thomas, who enclosed a pack of crayons with his communique, said Dixon has stumbled upon "the proverbial better mousetrap. "It's brighter, smoother, more blendable, and doesn't flake," the prez tells us. It's also delicious, according to my son Cameron, who, upon examining the package of crayons | took home Wednesday night, promptly ate the red one. Soybeans... gosh! What can't they make from soybeans, eh? They're in burgers, milk cartons and hot dogs... and you see more and more of them growing because they're hardy and marketable... they may well be the Perfect Crop. | truly expect some day soon to recieve a note from Texaco or Shell or whomever, announcing that we'll soon be able to run our cars on soybeans. The future, friends, is soybeans. | for one want automobile fuel made from soybeans. | want a hat made from soybeans. | want furniture made from soybeans! Bring on the future! CAREFUL OUT THERE: It's all the rage. Road Rage, that is. There are articles in the papers, and specials on the teevee news and, today in the mail, an epistle from an insurance company advising drivers on methods of managing their own rage, and avoiding being pummeled by other "aggressive drivers". Road rage isn't much of a factor in my life. Perhaps that's because traffic isn't either, unless you count lumbering school buses, overloaded hay wagons and inconsiderate drivers not waiting their turn at the four-way stop in downtown Blackstock. But there are anecdotes in this press release -- a guy in Sarnia who punched out another driver for backing into his vehicle; a psycho in Montreal who fired three shots at a mini-van after one of the occupants flipped him The Finger -- that make you think, perhaps we're all taking our rights to the wide open highway just a tad too seriously. Some tips from the insurance people: Don't further enrage a driver who's losing it by making faces or obscene gestures; don't tailgate; use your horn "sparingly", and, for heaven's sake, don't drive to the speed of fast music. Rock music, as everyone knows, is lethal. Sometimes it kills slowly; sometimes on contact. You've been warned. SE EE, libelous. We have exte - radio and television. nded to Ms van Kessel this week the Personally | think the story was blown completely out Random Jottings by J. Peter Hvidsten - A PUBLIC FORUM | Ina letter to the editor, published «elsewhere in this issue from Kristi van Star's printing a letter last week from Grant Laird in which he condemned Port Perry This Week and it's reporter for a story with which he became "outraged." Ms van Kessel writes she's bewildered how we could print a letter that "outright discredits the competition's newspaper and disrespects it's reporters." She goes on to say that we should not be too proud of ourselves. * Being a self-confessed reader of both newspapers, she should have realized that this paper, The Port Perry Star, publishes almost all letters it receives with little or no editing. The only exceptions are letters written anonymously, or those which are deemed to be LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Kessel, she takes exception to The same privilege (to speak her mind) which we afforded Grant Laird a week earlier and hundreds of residents everyyear, arti In this business we have to expect controversy if we choose to publish controversial material... we have to respect the opinions of others... if we want respect for our own beliefs... but most of all, it's essential to be prepared for criticism... if we chose to be critical of ohers.. . =... : The only reason Mr. Laird turned to The Port Perry Star to air his outrage with the competitor's article, was because he said they refused to publish his letter. With no other recourse; he wrote to The Star. ~~ AGONIZING DECISION Over the past couple of weeks I've been asked a: number of times why the Star downplayed charges laid on our former mayor recently. 0 First of all, The Star didn't downplay the story. We ve it the prominence it deserved... nd more, no less. ly the time we published the story it was five days old and had already been seen in most newspapers that cover the area in addition to being broadcast on both of proportion. It did not warrant a four line headline on the front page of the competitors newspaper, and in fact barely warranted the play we gave it days later. Had the person in question not been a local politician, this story probably wouldn't have made the pages of either paper. The Star, over the years, has agonized many times over printing the names of those charged with crimes. Some feel strongly we should name all those charged, ~ others applaud our sensitivity in not condemning people before they are convicted. In this day and age of tabloid TV, sensationalism and the public's appetite for "dirty news," the easy choice is to follow the trend and publish names of those charged Personally | feel there's still a place for publications in small towns which have an understanding and a vested interest in the community and are sensitive to the needs of it's readers. Newspapers are powerful tools, and the responsibility ; that goes along with publishing can not be taken lightly. We'd rather err on the side of caution than ruin someone's life before they are proven guilty. Atleast that's the way | see it.