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BROADER VISION On July 11 the UO School of Journalism and Communication announced a second major gift to the school's Portland Center and the naming of the center in honor of George S. Turnbull, a distinguished former faculty member, journalist and journalism historian. These investments are powerful endorsements of the school's long tradition of excellence in teaching and research and of our vision for the Turnbull Center. The naming of the center after one of our greatest journalism professors is a clear statement of our commitment to journalism. Contrary to your report in Slant (7/14), our efforts in Portland are not solely focused on "public relations and communication management." Yes, the first graduate degree program we expect to offer is in communication management, but the vision is much broader. As reported in The Oregonian (7/12), "the vision for the program extends beyond public relations to the development of future news reporters and editors, and a place where media professionals can engage with academics in the field." Over time the programs at the Turnbull Center will reflect the range of professions represented in Allen Hall. I regret that EW used the occasion of our announcement to smear all public relations professionals and public relations education. The ethical practice of public relations is an essential part of public discourse. It is very much in the public interest for the School of Journalism and Communication to continue to be engaged in teaching future generations of PR professionals and in contributing to the professional and public discussions concerning best practices in the field, as we have been for the better part of a century. Tim Gleason, Edwin L. Artzt Dean, UO School of Journalism and Communication
BODY SLAM As an alum and adjunct faculty member of the UO School of Journalism and Communication — and the immediate past president of the Greater Oregon Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America — I can only view EW's body slam of the public relations profession in Slant (7/14) as a disservice to PR practitioners everywhere. The piece starts out with a nice acknowledgment, complimenting the UO on its recent receipt of a major donation to help establish a journalism program at the university's Portland Center. Then comes the sucker punch: The article notes that "the program, which is geared toward public relations and communications management, has drawn criticism from those who think PR is not real journalism, just propaganda, and that it belongs in business schools. Strong arguments can be made," the article contends. Let's examine the arguments. "The skills taught in journalism schools, just like the skills taught in business schools, can be used for enlightened purposes, or for deception and greed. More disturbing is the growing popularity of PR courses, and the decline in students choosing the news-editorial track. Who do we blame?" the article asks, innocently enough. Does that mean that print and broadcast journalists are immune from the dark side? Recent problems with deception, plagiarism and fabrication in the news industry would indicate otherwise. I suggest that news journalists take a long, hard look in the mirror. Newspapers and broadcast networks continue to suffer huge declines in readership and viewership, not to mention credibility, because of these recent ethical issues in the news business. "Meanwhile, the voices of truth and justice across our nation are being drowned out by a cacophony of spinning corporate media schlock and deception," the piece continues. In the interest of truth and justice (and accuracy), I should point out that good reporting would have caught that the ultimate goal of the journalism program at UO's Portland Center is to include all the sequences, including news-editorial, and that "Allen Hall" is actually named for Eric Allen, the first dean of the UO School of Journalism and Communication. John C. Mitchell, Eugene
ENDING ELITISM Having been invited to meet a friend at the Oregon Country Fair, I thought it a fine place for a reunion. Entering the fair, I listened to spoken word about ending elitism, over-bloated conglomerates, and giving up our addiction to consumerism. My heart warmed knowing a place existed for sharing of ideas. Wanting to contribute to the collective feeling, I volunteered at a local eatery. Later, walking through the fair, I saw a gathering of another sort — a rally of yellow shirts getting excited for the sweep. Their leader spoke reassuring words that their job was necessary to preserve the integrity of the fair. They took group pictures of pre-sweep smiles and shiny plastic badges. They buzzed like excited bees. Heading back to my friend, word spread that the sweepers were coming. Not having a privileged colored armband, I knew our time together was soon at an end. Caught up in the sweep, I felt like a discarded refugee, an undesirable without connections to the OCF elite. Some might say it would be impossible to let everyone stay through the night. Others might cry foul that outsiders would ruin their private party. Until the OCF accepts everyone as equal and gives up its policy of exclusion based on elitism, I will not return. Whatever guiding principles founded the OCF, its board of directors might want to reexamine them. If it finds, it is in fact a parody of itself, perhaps it is time meditate on a new path. Jeff Lansing, Corvallis
FREE IS NOT ALONE Douglas Newton (7/14) attempts to discredit supporters of Jeff "Free" Luers by claiming they're young and stupid. It may come as a surprise to Newton that a diverse group of people — locally, nationally, and internationally — stand in solidarity with Jeff. One of many examples of proof is the "Sign-on Letter" of support for Jeff, which has been endorsed by hundreds of people including some famous authors, human rights activists, and academics (see it for yourself at www.freefreenow.org) I share Newton's doubt that "any professional firefighter will tell you that torching vehicles ... is a harmless, nonviolent form of political protest." That said, by anyone's account the fire was small and easy to extinguish. Jeff and his co-defendant made sure to avoid human injury and caused none. It may anger some firefighters and concerned citizens to learn that arsonists who set fires with the actual intent of harming people usually receive miniscule punishment compared to Jeff. Newton says Luers' supporters often fail to mention the attempted arson at Tyree of which Jeff was convicted. There's reasons for this: A) The majority of Jeff's sentence (approximately 16 years) comes from the Romania incident, and B) Jeff has denied any involvement in this action from the beginning. The fingerprints found at the scene of the crime were not his or his codefendant's, and the conviction was based entirely on circumstantial [non] evidence (for instance, bolt-cutters found at Jeff's residence were "similar" to the bolt-cutters used at Tyree!). Jeff may not show remorse for the three vehicles that were slightly burned (and eventually sold) at Romania. But he has said that, if released, he would avoid activities that could land him back in prison. The irony of Jeff's situation is that his action was only effective because he received a ridiculously unfair sentence that has made him an internationally respected "martyr" for the radical environmental and social justice movements. Steven Gider, Eugene
NOT IN THE BOX We enjoyed reading your cover story "Backroads" (7/14) and would like to suggest that the author, Jim Earl, not succumb to the easy stereotyping of Eugeneans living north of the river, as conservative in politics and culture. There really are quite a number of us who don't support Bush, who are pro-choice, vegetarian, recycling listeners of NPR and who live here for a myriad of reasons, none of which fit neatly into the box that Earl has constructed. Luek Crisenden, Eugene
WITHDRAW TROOPS The faces haunt me. They are young faces, vibrant faces with confident smiles and eyes bright with promise. Each night more of these faces appear at the conclusion of the TV news I watch. They are the faces of the latest American soldiers killed in Iraq. Why are these young people dying? What could be so important for our country to sacrifice them? Our government tells us our soldiers are helping to create a democracy. But is nation-building our responsibility? If so, why aren't we involved in transforming the countless other undemocratic regimes around the globe? Our government tells us our soldiers are fighting international terrorism and that they are dying to make us safer. I don't feel any safer, though. I just feel haunted by those faces. As our losses continue, our president tells us we must "stay the course," that we must "finish what we started." We can do that, continuing to follow the man who misled us into our involvement in the first place. Or, we can do something different. We can write to President Bush and demand that our troops be withdrawn immediately. No gradual withdrawal, no timetables. We can contact our congressional representatives, ask them what actions they are taking to end our involvement and let them know that our future support (money and votes) will be based on those actions. We can ask our state and local representatives what they are doing to mobilize support against the war in their respective bodies. The actions of our government speak for all of us. If those actions do not represent our wishes, it is our obligation to make those wishes known. I hope you will consider doing that. Robert Young, Eugene
WHO OWNS FAIRGROUNDS? County Commissioner Faye Stewart's ink isn't even dry from his election and he and his accomplices Anna Morrison and Bobby Green are trying to railroad the sale of the fairgrounds. Who do they think they are, holding a meeting behind closed doors with Willamette-McKenzie Hospital people? Do they think they own the fairgrounds property? The "Lane County" title means the citizens of Lane County, not the commissioners. The relocation study that they are requesting the fairgrounds to do was done in1995, the end result was that it was not cost effective. Their argument is that the fairgrounds has had some deficit years. If they are so concerned with that then why are they requesting another very expensive study report? So, what if they have to subsidize the fairgrounds some funds from the Room and Board Tax? There are numerous functions throughout the year at the fairgrounds that bring in many out of townspeople who are spending money in Lane County. The Hult Center and the Eugene Library are also subsidized and there have been no complaints from the commissioners. I feel that the meeting "behind closed doors" is an irresponsible move on the part of those commissioners involved. Peggy Ward, Eugene
YUPPIE EMPORIUM I came across your online EW surfing the net. The Whole Foods Viewpoint (6/16) caught my eye. Here in the Amherst, Mass., Whole Foods came to town several years ago and bought out Bread & Circus, our local natural foods grocery. Bread & Circus always bought from local growers as much as possible. Whole Foods claimed they would continue that practice. Bread & Circus supported local community fund-raising. Again Whole Foods announced they would be similarly active locally. Many years have passed and our great local store has morphed into an incredibly over-priced, designer, yuppie, supposedly natural food emporium. This year the store was doubled in size, the majority of it devoted to wine, cheese, chocolate and fancy coffees. Items in bulk seeds and grains were reduced, the bulk herb section practically eliminated and shoved into an awkward corner. The dairy product area discontinued using all local suppliers for eggs, milk and butter. Throughout the store local cottage industry products were replaced with more expensive items shipped in from out of state. Instead there is now an elaborate makeup area in cosmetics and stacks of conventional magazines at the registers. Much of the fresh food deli items are now prepared offsite along with many of the baked goods. As for involvement in community fund-raising, Whole Foods is notorious among local school fund-raisers as being the only large grocery that has not participated in any programs over the past 10 years. Make no mistake, Whole Foods is big business, devoted to profits and governed from Texas — no matter what the public relations people say. Kristine Sinicrope, Amherst, Mass.
THE BLACK VOID When the new library was opened in Eugene, I was very pleased to discover that it has a fairly large collection of movies, including even new releases which usually cost more than a few dollars to rent at places like Blockbuster. But then, what an unpleasant surprise it was to realize that I probably won't be able to watch many of those new DVDs available at our city's library! Why? Because the library for some strange reason buys most DVDs only in the so-called "widescreen" format, which can be fully appreciated if viewed only on special new TVs. Widescreen TV sets still are quite expensive and are perhaps only affordable to a small portion of the library's patrons. Moreover, I also think that if one has enough money to buy such an expensive TV, then it's most likely no problem for them to simply buy the DVD itself, or at least rent it at a video rental store. On the other hand, the majority of people who can't afford to buy widescreen TVs prefer to borrow movies from the library. But this is where the problem comes in. Almost all of the movies that the library has on DVDs are now in that widescreen format and thus are almost impossible to watch on a regular TV set, because the movie itself takes up only half of the screen, while the rest is just a black void. Why can't the library buy, say, three copies of the movie in widescreen and one copy in normal full-screen mode? Gabriella Anelauskaite, Eugene
CHEM WARFARE I am very grateful to Ursula Evans-Heritage for her article, "Silent Summer" (6/16). Yet I must mention that she did not cover one of the main current and relevant issues about pesticides in Oregon. Since 2004, Lynn Bowers, founder of Forestland Dwellers No-Spray Group, has mapped more than 51,000 corporate timberland acres in Lane County just between the Coast Range, the Willamette River and south of Eugene that are repeatedly being aerially sprayed with herbicides, including 2,4-D. This chemical is one of the components of Agent Orange (a chemical warfare agent developed for use in defoliating the jungle and farms in Vietnam) and it leaves a persistent, known carcinogen dioxin in the environment forever. This practice is not limited to Lane County, but is repeated all over Oregon, wherever timber companies first clearcut, then plant Doug fir seedlings. Frequently they must replant the seedlings because the herbicides which are meant to kill competing vegetation can also kill them. Why are chemical warfare agents being used on Oregon forests, which in turn creates deadly health hazards for Oregonians? And why would corporate timber companies use these deadly chemicals unless they are at war with the forests and Oregonians, or are just they beholden to the petrochemical industry? If people would like more information about herbicide use in Oregon, Talking Points to Change Herbicide Use in Oregon is available by calling 342-8332 or e-mailing: amy@informproductions.com. If people would like to know more about the environmental causes of cancer, please check out www.preventcancer.com Amy Pincus Merwin, InForm Productions and Radio
LAND OF THE FREE I agree with everything Charles Dalton said in his "Corrupt Strategy" (7/7) letter. The question is, what do we do now to correct Bush and Cheney's numerous errors that have caused so much misery? It is immoral, illegal, a war crime and an impeachable offense to bomb, invade, occupy, torture and kill hundreds of thousands of Iraqi citizens for made-up, fictional and false acts that Iraqis didn't do. When sufficient numbers of congressional Republicans and Democrats stop playing the keyboard of corruption, graft and warmongering, then we will be able to impeach Bush and Cheney. If Congress refuses to act to impeach, the congressional leadership is guilty of accessory to all of the heinous crimes the Bushies have committed and will commit. Then all decent U.S. citizens must demand that the leaders of Congress be removed so that the sadness of Iraq can finally end with true free elections: no USA ballot stuffing, no U.S. military bases, no CIA meddling in Iraq's sovereignty and no U.S. control of Iraq's oil. Do it right so we can stop the fight. I also agree with everything Free said in his (7/7) letter. Think how much better the U.S. would be if we were the land of the Free instead of the home of the unbrave war/environmental criminal Bush. Bob Saxton , Eugene
IMPEACH NOW We are suffering under the most corrupt, secretive, and anti-labor U.S. administration that I have ever witnessed. They continue to defend their actions by means of attacking others, questioning patriotism or morals, or assassinating one's character. Finally, their arrogant aggression is catching up with them, and some of the terrible acts they diverted attention away from are coming into the light of day. Every piece of legislation that this administration has pushed through has served their campaign financiers and harmed the typical working person. The Iraq War benefits Halliburton and select contractors. The Medicare Bill, for which the vote was stalled until they bullied enough legislators to vote for it, benefited the pharma-ceutical companies who already boast high profits. The Overtime Bill served to pay back many corporations, such as Wal-Mart, for their support and increases their ability to take advantage of workers. The bankruptcy legislation rewarded the credit and financial corporations who prey upon lower-income working people when they are most vulnerable, thus removing the potential of a second chance. They pushed tort reform to thwart those who have been harmed or suffered death from receiving compensation that they might have to rely upon if they are no longer capable of working or providing for their families, thus protecting insurance companies and corporations. Their Healthy Skies initiative allows manufacturers to spew more environmental poisons into our air. The Social Security proposal would bring business to investment brokers and financial institutions. This is the short list. Had enough? Impeach now. Rita Babauta Kiley , Junction City
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