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Letters to the Editor

Jobtrak editorial absurd

To the editor,

What happens when newspaper editors feel strongly about a topic? They sit down at their computer terminals and write scathing editorials and print them with accusing headlines. This is one aspect that creates an excellent free press. But it can also make the newspaper look foolish when facts are ignored.

In Friday's Arizona Wildcat, editors did just that. Unlike most editorials, Friday's topic was not about the injustice of the Elian Gonzalez case, the presidential campaign, or even an issue directly related to University of Arizona students. Instead the editors of the paper chose to unjustly bash the news service University Wire.

The editorial claims U-WIRE pulled a Jobtrak story without first contacting the Wildcat. This is true. What the editorial fails to mention was that the story was only pulled from U-WIRE's own web sites (www.uwire.com and www.uwiretoday.com) for a total of four hours. The story was pulled while U-WIRE editors waited for the paper to return their call to verify the validity of the story. The story still appeared on U-WIRE syndication partners' high traffic web sites such as Yahoo.com, USAToday.com, Excite.com, and the Lexis-Nexis database.

Andrew Young, U-WIRE sports editor said in an e-mail message, "We did not retract it. There was a four-hour time lapse before reposting, as we were waiting for a call from the Wildcat. U-WIRE did not favor the Jobtrak guy over the Wildcat. In the end, we made NO changes to the story, issued NO retractions. And now, we continue to stand behind the story, as we stand behind all the stories published by our member papers."

As a former colleague of Andy and the other U-WIRE staff, I believe they did nothing wrong. U-WIRE's first mission is to provide quality news distribution to college newspapers. But that requires diligence. U-WIRE did what it could only do when there were some serious doubts about a story: verify the truth and they did so with amazing speed.

The Wildcat editorial sums up the feelings of retribution of its authors by saying "...know that the information is out there-no thanks to U-WIRE." No thanks to U-WIRE, the Wildcat story appeared as the lead story on U-WIRE's e-mail feed to editors and managers of over 450 college newspapers, radio and television stations. No thanks to U-WIRE, the story was distributed to over 20 syndication partners including Yahoo.com, USAToday.com, Excite.com, Lexis-Nexis, StudentAdvantage.com, and appeared on their own sites, uwire.com and uwiretoday.com. No thanks to U-WIRE, the story received considerably more coverage than the Wildcat could have accomplished on its own. No thanks to U-WIRE, editors at the Wildcat have received an important lesson in journalism.

Next time the editors at the Wildcat should focus on issues that relate more strongly to their readership. The other important thing to remember is an editorial should be based on facts, not the spiteful feelings of revenge brought out because an important "scoop" was briefly pulled from an independent wire service.

Jonathan Bare

Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania

Experiments incompassionate

To the editor,

It seems that less than compassionate practices of opening up the heads of monkeys for research is alive and well in Tucson. It is saddening to read that experiments and practices are still resorting to means of destruction verses rebuilding or repairing.

It is my hope that others are more aware of the more positive means to learn about other species.

Angela Timan

Tucsonan

Marines 'pissed off' at editor

To the editor,

I represent the Marines attached to NROTC at South Hall, and I want to let you know that there are about 40 aggravated, just downright pissed off Marines ready to tear apart the editor for printing that cartoon of the failing Osprey.

Let me comment first of all on the fact that you would print a whole article on the tragedy of Columbine High School, showing pictures of families mourning and crying and hugging each other. However, none of these students have done anything remotelessly close to what those Marines have done for this country. Yet you chose to let the world remember Columbine and make the world feel guilty at what evil humans are capable of.

But have I seen any articles printed on behalf of the fallen Marines? No! Funerals have been held slowly but painfully for the Marines, yet not one article has been written to make us shed a tear for those who have chosen to give up their lives for free speech. Granted that the cartoon was drawn by someone from the LA Times, but it was you who chose to print the article. I say you have no honor, and you have dishonored these fallen Marines by mocking the whole incident with a twist on the falling stock market. I say again: you have no sense of honor, and that is truly a tragedy.

We demand a written apology to be printed in the Arizona Daily Wildcat. Free speech or not, the cartoon was truly tasteless. How would Americans react if a Marine officer commented rudely on the Columbine incident? He would be reprimanded because the public would demand it, and it would present a bad image of the Marine Corps. The same principle applies to you. Have you ever had a pissed off Marine after you?

Sgt R.E. Gatongay

NROTC/MECEP