Thursday, July 21, 2005

S-R sensationalizing

Third-tier columnist David J. Rothkopf justifies his ranking by missing the point in his July 13 column on U.S.-China trade ("China, U.S. are better off cooperating"). The point of objection to the Chinese bid for Unocal is that the bidder is essentially the Chinese government.

It is difficult to get consensus as to what constitutes fair trade, the presumed goal and main point of contention between those who advocate free trade. Having to compete against a company with majority ownership and the full backing of a major nation state is clearly not fair trade and should not be allowed.

Use of third-tier op-ed columnists and the sensationalism introduced by "Geraldo" Smith are two steps backward for The Spokesman-Review. The basic information in the Mayor West story is important for the public to know and is good investigative journalism. The tone of the coverage however is demeaning to the paper and audience.

The story on Morning Star Boys' Ranch is pure Geraldo-style sensationalism. The kids sent there were incorrigible. Corporal punishment has been effective and the norm for thousands of years, until recently. There is nothing to the story except old exaggerated accounts of normal corporal punishment.

Tom Horne
Spokane