THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2004
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Pulitzer Prize winner Mears speaks at Editor's Day
By Laura FRANCEDIVILIA
lfrancoviglia@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Pulitzer Prize winner Walter Mears was critical of the way television news media presents presidential candidates, he said at Kansas Editor's Day on Saturday.
"Now people see them everyday. It sort of makes them more accessible but more remote. They're packaged, promoted and sold like products in a supermarket." Mears said.
Mears was a political reporter for the past 11 presidential campaigns and won the Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the '76 presidential campaign.
Mears spoke to about 150 people in the Kansas Union about
his 45 years of experience as a political reporter with the Associated Press.
Mears began his career as a political reporter as one of the boys on the bus in the
MEARS
late '60s, when the reporters covering campaigns traveled together in a bus.
Other reporters would peer over his shoulder to find out what he was writing.
He could get to the heart of what was important said Paul Stevens, an executive with the Associated Press. Stevens said they other reporters would look
Stevens said Mears had always been a fair reporter who gave balance to both sides in campaigns.
at him and say "What's the lead,
Walter?"
Because Mears retired in 2001, he now freely injects his own opinion and humor into politics.
In his speech on Saturday, Mears described experiences he wrote about in his book, Deadlines Past: Forty Years of Presidential Campaigning: A Reporter's Story, and criticized the current presidential campaign.
"There is too much shouting and too little debate on the issues that really matter," he said.
Mears said negative campaign ads and the 24-hour news cycle have hurt the way people see presidential candidates.
Nasty campaigning even
and too little debate on the issues that really matter."
"T here is too much shouting
Walter Mears
Pulitzer prize winner
affected Thomas Jefferson's campaign, but now television amplifies negative campaigning. Mears said.
"Technology creates a huge echo chamber," he said.
Mears even-handedly criticized George W. Bush and John Kerry.
Although Republicans call Kerry a flip-flopster, he said both
candidates were equally guilty of flip-flowing on issues.
He said the Republicans misconstrued the relationship between the war on terror and the war in Iraq.
Mears also said Al Qaeda has influenced the election.
Meurs said Kerry had trouble relating to voters.
But as long as the Republics continue to convince the public the wars are one in the same, Mears said Bush would be home-free on Iraq.
Bush almost certainly would be defeated out of a second term if not for the 9/11 attack, he said.
"He talks too much like a senator. Senate-speak has a minimal relationship to the English language," he said.
He also said that Kerry may not
be a good leader if he didn't run his campaign more effectively.
"john Kerry is a bad manager if he's satisfied with the way the campaign is going." Mears said.
Thursday. Mears' enthusiasm for reporting was invigorating said Carlos Rodriguez, journalism student and Wichita junior.
He wrote an Internet blog for the Associated Press for the Democratic and Republican conventions and his next project would be covering the presidential debates, the first of which is Thursday.
Even after retirement Mears has continued to be active in the presidential election.
"He represents fair, balanced and accurate reporting," he said
Banned Books Week encourages freedom, readers' choice
-Edited by Ashley Bechard
BY AUSTIN CASTER acaster@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITE
Jordan Janssen couldn't imagine why a book she read in high school, The Catcher in the Rye, was on the banned book list.
"I think people need to make their own decisions on what they want to read," the Solomon freshman said.
Tomorrow marks the beginning of Banned Books Week. Lawrence libraries and bookstores will draw awareness by locking up books and making informational displays. KU Libraries will not participate
The KU Libraries will not participate because their main function is for research said Bill Myers, spokesperson for KU Libraries.
"It's an important issue." Myers said. "but the public library is the venue to promote that."
The Lawrence Public Library plans to pull the most frequently banned books off the shelves and
THE 10 MOST FREQUENTLY CHALLENGED BOOKS BETWEEN 1990-2000
The American Library Association listed these books as the most frequently challenged.
1. Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
2. Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willohite
3. I Know Why the Caged
lock them up in a case.
After receiving three signatures from library patrons, the books will be eligible for parole, said Maria Butler, community relations coordinator for the library.
Pat Kahde, co-owner of The
"The banned books week is intended to call attention to attempts by groups or individuals to restrict the books that are available to others in our libraries," she said.
Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
4. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
7. Harry Potter (Series) by J. K. Rowling
8. Forever by Judy Blume
9. Bridge to Terabithia by Leslie Newman
10. Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Source: www.ala.org
Raven Bookstore, 6 E. Seventh St., said she always made a window display.
"All it takes is one person who is frightened," Kahde said. "Everyone can make a choice about what they want to read."
Kahde said the list included books that had been challenged in schools but didn't include the books burned by Nazis.
She said if one person challenged or complained about a
I think people need to make their own
decisions on what they want to read."
Jordan Janssen Solomon freshman
book it could be removed from a library, which has happened in Lawrence.
The American Library Association compiled a list of the 100 most frequently challenged books from 1990 to 2000.
KU students may be surprised to find Goosebumps by R.L. Stine, James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl and Where's Waldo? by Martin Hanford on the list.
"It's unimaginable that a children's picture book can be dangerous," Butler said.
She said she had read most of the adult novels on the list and they were excellent books everyone should read.
"We are encouraging everyone to support Banned Books Week by reading a banned book," Butler said.
Banned books and the Patriot Act may cause a decline in readership, Kahde said.
She said under the Patriot Act if the government requested purchasing or renting records, she would be forbidden to tell the customer and this could cause people to stop using libraries.
chilling effect on what people are comfortable buying or borrowing." Kahde said.
Janssen said she thought that if parents were so concerned about what their children were reading, they should be with their children at the library.
"If they're old enough to check it out," Janssen said, "They should be old enough to handle the material."
"For the most part it has a — Edited by Ashley Bechard
THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS
PRESENTED BY SEPTEMBER 27,2004 STUDENT OF SENATE
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Monday, Sept. 27
Corbin: 1-7pm
McCollum: 1-7pm
Tuesday, Sept. 28
Union Ballroom: 11am-5pm
McCollum: 1-7pm
Wednesday, Sept. 29
Union Ballroom: 11am-5pm
Allen Fieldhouse: 11am-5pm
Thursday, Sept. 30
Union Ballroom: 11am-5pm
Allen Fieldhouse: 11am-5pm
Friday, Oct. 1
Union Ballroom: 11am-5pm
Allen Fieldhouse: 11am-5pm
Community Blood Center
BLOOD IS TYPE, DISEASE
Sponsored by:
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Panhellenic
AURH
KUAC
NROTC
Student Alumni Association Join us for the next SAA meeting! All students are welcome
Tuesday, Sept. 28
Meet at the Adams Alumni Center at 5pm, and follow us down to Clinton Lake
Sunday, 9/26
Rock the Park, featuring Drikkar Seuna,
Old Canes, Minus Story, The Mark Lydia Combo
and Yukka Roots
NW Side of South Park
1ph + 4pm
Rock the Vote on Wesco Beach
11am-4pm
Rock the Vote on Wescoe Beach
Open Forum, featuring Congressional Candidate Nancy Boyde and Congressman Dennis Moore
11:20am, 1:40pm, Wescoe Beach
Monday Night Movie Marathon
Showing Dr. Sittahsloe & Ms. Spath Goes
10.Washington, 6pm, 10pm,
Alderson Auditorium, Kansas Union
Tuesday, 9/26.
20 Million Loud/MTV Chouse or Lose on Campus
Wespine Beach or Kansas Univ., 11am ; 1pm.
Debate between College Republicae & Young Democrate
10am; 2pm. Big XII Ramen, Kansas Union
Student Program & Reception at the Dole Institute
with guest speaker Secretary of State Ron Thorberg
Featuring the Chuck Berg Trio. Food and fun, 7-8:30pm
Wednesday, 9/29
Rock the Vote on Wescoe Beach, 11am, 1pm
Student Senate @ Big XII Room, 5:30pm, Kansas Union
Political Fashion Show On Wescoe Beach Featuring. College Republicans, Young Dems, KU Greens, 12-1pm Center for the Humanities Guest
Tuesday 6:20
Wear Your Favorite Political Slogan Day
Rock the Vote on Wesson Beach 11am-1pm
Open Forum featuring Congressional Candidate Kris Yobach
11am-12pm
Presidential Debate Kansas Union, 8: 10pm Come watch the first Presidential Debate and join in roundtable discussions of your views, while eating pizza.
Friday (10/01)
Rock the Vote on Wescoe Beach
11am - 1pm
saturday
Women's Civic
Leadership Conference
All Day, Kansas Union
Sponsors, Student Legislative Awareness Board, KU Civic Literacy Committee, Rock The Vote, Student Senate, Student Union Activities, KU College Republicans, KU Young Democrats, Communication Studies, Sunflower Broadband
Questions? Email glab@ku.edu