Section B·Page 6
The University Daily Kansan
Friday, February 23, 2001
Letters to the editor
Editor's note: The following letter has a similar format to the column "Auto racing too dangerous to be athletic," by Amanda Kaschube, which appeared in Wednesday's sports section.
journalism too dangerous to be considered a profession
The simple truth escapes millions of media buffs.
It seems simple enough to me: take a reporter on a last-minute deadline, a modern world fraught with danger and increasingly fewer boundaries, and take away the ability to act with slow and deliberate caution.
Sounds pretty scary, doesn't it? It was deadly for the 36 journalists who were killed in 1999, twice as many as in 1998. Yet despite these odds, journalists keep working and continue to put themselves in danger.
Headline junkies say that the dangers and the risk of imprisonment in other countries make the job that much more exciting - it's the local authorities, not the news media, that are the culprits in the deaths and imprisonment of so many journalists worldwide. New mergers and the spread of news sources on the Internet will most likely boost journalists' level of exposure and increase the demand for even flashier headlines and stories to attract a wider audience.
This is a recipe for even more imprisonings and deaths.
This is why I simply can't understand how journalists, after seeing that at least 139 of their colleagues are imprisoned worldwide, can jump back into their offices, sit down at their computers, and take another shot at reporting the news.
Maybe it's because I just didn't grow up around journalism. Pop used to race motorcycles when he was younger. Flying around an enclosed track, a few feet from the ground – that takes a lot of nerve and real skill to do safely.
On the other hand, it doesn't seem that hard to operate a keyboard and run the spelling checker - it's called typing.
No great ability or nerves of steel necessary. No sweating the deadlines, trying to avoid death in some little corner of the world. No classes; no major requirements. Make sure you have a
nice ergonomic keyboard and mouse pad and you're set.
What a fun "profession."
The news is just not something that was intended to provide people with information, or an ability to exercise political freedom. I just don't see the thrill in actually working in this field.
I've now had two minor brushes with journalism myself. Fortunately, I was proceeding carefully each time, and I managed to walk away safely. Not everyone is so lucky of course, and each time I read the headline about some new political prisoner, I remember to be more cautious and to just stay away from the thing altogether.
I mean, some people get out of prison and start back doing the same kind of reporting that got them arrested in the first place. Getting back in the saddle is one thing, but this is just ridiculous.
Obviously, I don't think that all journalism will just stop, but perhaps more generic reporting and less in-depth coverage would be perfectly reasonable. The fact that Burma is the worst offender in terms of journalists incarcerated doesn't stop the news from happening, but it does make journalists act with more caution and maybe even second-guess running risky stories critical of the government there.
Safety is a number one concern is every job – there's just no sure-fire way to avoid it. Even stricter guidelines would be far from making journalism safe. Media employees have to accept this, but why should they continue to play with their lives?
I do like to read a good book about daring reporters every now and then, but that's just made up stuff. A little danger to the characters is on par with it being just a work of fiction. Tabloids make up their news for a reason.
When the only thing standing between you and a Pulitzer are thousands of other people trying to edge each other out for every story, putting themselves in danger, that's just plain silly.
Jesse Oehlert Haven junior
Column lacked research; misrepresented NASCAR
dangerous to be athletic." Feb. 21). This was quite possibly the most ignorant and poorly timed sports "article" I have ever read. This particular sample of her writing more or less shouted, "I have no idea what I am talking about!"
Her ignorance concerning the sport of NASCAR was clearly evident from the beginning and thickened as the article progressed. On top of that, her arrogance was on display with the statement, "growing up near Chicago, I was surrounded with real athletic talent." And when she referred to Michael Jordan and Walter Payton as "real athletes" was disgusting. She was taking a direct shot at Dale Earnhardt Sr. and all other race car drivers, basically saying she believed they have no talent.
Kaschube obviously has no idea that driving an automobile at speeds in excess of 200 mph does require an incredible amount of skill. Clearly more skill than Kaschube possesses, as she admitted that she had been in two serious accidents at speeds much slower than 200 mph. So, of course, she could not understand the skill required. I would love to watch her attempt to steer a car moving that fast around an oval track, just inches from the wall.
She must not have researched G forces well either or she would have learned a thing or two. Incredibly high speeds, such as those in NASCAR, make moving your head very difficult, much less taking your hand off the steering wheel long enough to shift gears. I also found her statement "Cars weren't designed to travel at speeds so fast that stepping on the brakes to avoid a crash is nearly impossible" very humorous. I wasn't aware that Amanda Kaschube was an automobile designer
I would like to respond to Amanda Kashube's article ("Auto racing too
— my copy of the Kansan clearly says,
"Sports Columnist" next to her name
and photo. Even more amusing to me
was her overlooking that speed is the
exact object in mind when a NASCAR
automobile is designed.
Then Kaschube gave her opinion that "more caution and slower speeds would be reasonable" in NASCAR. Doesn't she think drivers already use the utmost caution when driving? They are moving along at 200 mph, after all. Accidents will happen in the sport. You can't change that. But slowing speeds would take the excitement out of NASCAR, which would obviously hurt the sport tremendously. Why would you
watch from the stands as a car passes at 80 mph, when you know very well that the same car could be passing at 220 mph? Watching the sport would no longer be fun.
The reason that NASCAR drivers continue to "play with their lives" is the same reason that any other athletes do what they do — they love the sport and want to see it progress.
My final complaint with the article was simply its timing. Writing and printing an article denouncing and ridiculing a sport right after a key figure in that sport has tragically died was in the poorest of tastes. Not only should this article not have made it into print because of the poor timing, it should have also been thrown out because it wa a poor piece of writing. Not only was it thrown together by someone who confesses to enjoy sports, in part, because they're an excuse to look at players' butts, but she once owned a Dodge Neon. What could she possibly know about NASCAR?
— Joe Chapman Jackson, Miss., sophomore
Crying about celebrities not necessary for fans
Dale Eanhardt was an icon who basically put NASCAR on the map. Recently, the popularity of NASCAR has skyrocketed thanks to him. Whether it was his shades, the No. 3 car, or the nickname "Intimidator," fans loved or hated him. Earnhardt was the Michael Jordan of NASCAR.
Unfortunately, on the last lap of the Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt was instantly killed when his car took a sharp right run into a wall at approximately 170 mph. I remembered watching SportsCenter on the following day. It showed images of people giving flowers and crying openly. Heck, I saw and heard reports that people cried openly because their favorite driver tragically died. I have no problem with people feeling bad about death. But to break down and cry for Earnhardt's death is just poor.
First of all, many of these people were just casual fans — that's it. They didn't know Dale Earnhardt personally. How can you cry for someone famous who just died and knows him only by watching him on television or at a
game? Sure, some may have met Earnhardt or any celebrity by shaking hands or got their autograph. It's amazing how people out here think they have the big emotional attachment to a celebrity. You can admire the celebrity, but don't feel as though you are as miserable as the deceased person's family members.
I think the only time you cry about death is when someone close to you has died. This includes one's family, friends, pets, etc. I think those who should cry for Earnhardt's death are his family, friends, and the NASCAR "family," not the fans. I am a huge San Francisco 49ers fan in "Chiefs" territory. If Jerry Rice, Steve Young or Joe Montana tragically died, I would feel horrible. But, I am not going to the point in which I just break down and bawl.
I could remember on an August day in 1997 when Princess Diana died in a car wreck. During the next few days, the news showed reactions by different people. I could see bunches of people, especially women, just break down and cry while they put flowers in Princess Diana's temporary residence in New York. I was disgusted on how people are so vulnerable because a clebrity they followed died. That's pathetic. It's OK to mourn her death, but it's unacceptable to cry about it. Again, the vast majority of these people didn't know Princess Diana. If lucky, you might have shaken her hand or something. One might say that because you are so full of sadness there is no choice but to cry. I don't buy it. It shows that you have no self-control. Just because you know a celebrity by watching him on television, doesn't justify crying about his death. You cry for the death of someone you personally know.
The point I'm tyring to make is simple. If you think that your world is at the end because your favorite athlete or movie star died or retires and you must cry to deal with it, get a life. Don't be emotionally attached to a celebrity as though your life depends on that celebrity. It's not healthy. It's OK to have emotions, but there should be a point when you don't let your emotions run wild. Only shed tears when needed, the ones you love, not idolize.
Jason Hwang
Overland Park freshman
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