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| Wednesday, Aug 16 2006 10:25 PM
Last Updated: Wednesday, Aug 16 2006 10:29 PM
Reader: When I opened my Sunday paper, the last thing I wanted to see was a front-page picture of cop killer Bruce Sons.
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The only article I am interested in reading about Sons is his obituary. Then you have my blessing to put that on the front page.
-- Janis Pelham
Jenner: Thanks in advance for the blessing, Janis.
Reader: Is there no editor in charge of checking the facts in letters published on the Opinion page? In Tuesday's paper, letter writer Kip Black, in a generally uninformed and biased letter, asserted that "the Lebanese voters elected Hamas into their government." It was not Hamas, a Palestinian organization, but Hezbollah that won seats in the Lebanese parliament. While the writer has egg on his face, the editors of The Californian receive an automatic "F" for publishing such a factual error.
-- Jeanne Harrie
Editorial Page Editor Dianne Hardisty responds: No doubt Cal State Bakersfield history professor Jeanne Harrie knows a great deal about the strife in the Middle East and has no problems keeping the players straight. Editors in the Opinion Section try to keep up with emerging groups and factions. We also try to edit factual errors from letters. Apparently, we missed this one.
The letter's author may have been confused by the continual reference to the two groups being politically and strategically linked.
We regret Dr. Harrie would give us "an automatic 'F'" for allowing the error to slip through. Would she consider grading on the "curve"?
Reader: Saturday's front page article "Hell on Earth" was quite disturbing, not so much for the suffering by those Japanese who have survived; but because of the prominence provided to Louis Medina's one-sided discussion of the atomic bomb.
I would have hoped Mr. Medina might have balanced his views by presenting the fact that the bombs were dropped because of the Japanese's deadly attack on Pearl Harbor, their conquering of Korea, most of China and the South Pacific and their oppressive and inhumane treatment of those they conquered or captured.
I hope that your paper has the heart and mind to print similar articles detailing the suffering of American soldiers while battling for freedom of the oppressed on December 7th, on June 6th and next Memorial Day. Give us reason to glory in our nation's willingness to suffer and fight for the freedom of other nations and people; regardless of their religious beliefs and what may be for our short-term benefit.
Thanks for letting me spout off!
-- Jon Crawford
Jenner: Our interest in providing that balance is precisely why Medina wrote a companion story that presented that point of view, among others.
And our newspaper does indeed have "the heart and mind" to honor veterans and the sacrifices they have made on this nation's behalf.
I would stack up The Californian's coverage honoring veterans against any other paper's. And we don't just roll out such packages only on Pearl Harbor Day, D-Day or Memorial Day.
Did you notice "A modest hero" -- the story that dominated the front page of Wednesday's paper on paratrooper Earle Cooper and his experiences as a platoon leader in Vietnam?
Reader: The Bakersfield Californian has done it again! The biased reporting techniques utilized in reporting the story on the "Couple accused of molesting student" last Saturday are more along the lines of a tabloid than a real newspaper.
The opinions from neighbors of this couple stating that "they weren't the friendliest of people" and "they were kind of anti-social" have absolutely no bearing on this case and should not have been reported in your newspaper. Many people (myself included) work long hours and have activities outside of our neighborhood, and simply don't have time to be social with our neighbors. Are we to be convicted of a crime because a neighbor doesn't think we are nice enough?
Years ago there was a young man named Jeffrey Dahmer, whose neighbors thought he seemed like a nice guy. They couldn't have been more wrong! Maybe these Bakersfield neighbors are just as bad at judging character as they were!
Now, it is not for me to judge whether anyone is innocent or guilty, but it appears that The Californian has clearly made its judgment. Whatever happened to "innocent until proven guilty"?
-- Mike Lenk
Jenner: First, I disagree that our story "convicted" this couple.
Second, I do believe that meaningful statements from people in a position to know something about those accused of a crime can provide readers with useful background and context.
I do feel, however, that we shouldn't publish meaningless comments. And so while we were right to talk to neighbors in an effort to learn more about the accused, I do agree that in this case we should have refrained from publishing these quotes.