A& - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, July 13, 1994 LETTERS: Rape story criticized © Dear Sir: The Terrace Women’s Resource Centre is concerned about the front page story of last week’s newspaper, with its lurid and’ graphic detail des- cribing a rape which occurred in Terrace. ~ ~ We question your intent in the placement and detail of the article, and question whal you hoped lo accomplish. If your intended purpose was to educale the. community about the horror of sexual as- Sault, in the hopes of exploding myths and telling the truth - even if horrid - your intentions, at least, may have been good, If your intention was rather to sensationalize ' the “enterlainment vaiue’’ of the occurrence (which would’ ex- plain the detail), something seer often in the sleazlest of labloids or true detective mag- azines, we can only react with ihe strongest condemnation. Regardless -of your inten- tions, whether honourable” or not, the affects, whether in- lended or not, of your editorial decision are ihe most disturb- ing. Pea As the Standard is a‘ com- munity newspaper delivered directly to households by chil- dren, many unsuspecting people have read the article, including impressionable chil- dren. ‘Do I have to. start hiding the local paper from my kids?,’” one woman asked. ~-Women--who- have been sexually assaulted in the past said they relived their own vic- limization, something they certainly did not wish to do, even if they stopped reading a few sentences into the story. Women who are considering faking an assailant to court may decide against it.as they do not wish to have their expe- riences detailed on the. front page of the local paper, And we wonder if the wishes of the woman whose victim- ization was publicly displayed were taken into consideration, or if her feelings and fears were discounted as unimportant. Whatever educational value the article may have had, when sel against the damage done to children and to women who have been assaulted, it does noi, in our minds, justify the story’s placement and detail. We wonder how the Standard could have come to a different conclusion. os Slocerely, Charlynn Toews, Women’s Resource Centre, Terrace, BC. i a ee cee ee a ee a ® Dear Sir: The freedom. of the media to report stories of interest to the community it serves is vital in our democratic society. Of that there is no question. However, the free- dom assumed by your paper to gtaphically depict a brutal rape in Terrace a year ago presents an opposile case. For some reason, your reporter and those who reviewed the piece prior to it making the press, made a@ decision the story was in some way made better by including the brutal details of the rape as they were presented in court. In our view you have accomplished the .opposite.and have. shown.a sur- prising lack of respect for. your reader. Oe As readers we are well aware of the meaning of the word sodomy. The quotes attributed to the ~~ assailant before the act were at best unnecessary and at worst, a sad attempt at journalistic sensationalism. The graphic descriptions of the brulal acis against another human being certainly have their place in a court of law but we question their appropriateness on the front page of a community newspaper. a paper we have encouraged our children to read. Yes, the public has a right to know. We need to know we are not immune to crimes of this na- ture, We need to know how our system of enforcement works and -its .eventual outcome in the courts. No, we do not need courtroom quotes from the perpetrator to help us understand the horror of this type story. ee Sincerely, - Doug and Linda Smith, ; Terrace, BC. Dear Sir: Your paper usually ends up in my ‘rash can reluctantly after several days of enjoyable reading. Yesterday’s paper has already been put there, this time with the feeling that it truly belongs there. Your front page article. “Guilty Verdict In Brutal Rape” is the reason. Certainly this is more vul- gar smut than responsible journal- ism. We don’t need a blow by blow account complete with four letter words (yes, your feeble ef- fort to disguise the F word Failed) to be able to absorb the fact that a brutal sexual assault took place. [ thought the Standard was sup- posed to be a community paper Dear Sir: a —itto my house. - which provides news, not pornographic short storics. — I have 3 children aged 9 to 14, 1 can scarcely believe that 1 am going to have to start hiding the local paper From them wntil I have a chance to screen it. Isn’t your. paper the one encouraging young readers? I’ve got a piece of news for you, Most people do not want their children reading this kind of trash. Please do Terrace familics a favour and refrain from this kind . of reporting, and if you can’t do that, please refrain from sending Yours, Frank Burton, Terrace BC, This letter is in response to your article entitled “*Guilty Ver- dict in Brutal Rape’? (July 6, 1994), What this victim was forced to endure was indeed inhumane and repulsive, and the effects will likely remain with her fora lifetime. My concerns are with your graphic reporting and direct quotes. To describe these atrocious acts only serves to sensationally what must have been a horrific experience for this individual. Statistically very few women come forward in cases of sexual abuse, largely due to the indignities they would suffer. This type of journalism will anly serve to intensify these fears and revictimize the individual. I cannot help but wonder what thought, if any, was given to this victim and her family. Jan Lefrancois, Co-ordinator Terrace Victim's Assistance Program. Dear Sir; I fect I must comment. on the front page article of the July 6 edition of the Terrace Standard entitled “Guilty Verdict in Brutal Rape”. , I was appalled at the detail and descriptive language used when describing the events of this inci- dent. Aside from the fact that, to the victim, a: traumatic incident like this would be very personal, I don’t think the general public is any wiser or more educated hav- ing read this. ] think most readers will agree sick and disgusting and if the in- tent of the writer was to portray this aspect, it worked, The facts of this case could have been relayed in less descrip- tive manner without losing the gist of the story. As part of our children’s educa- tion, we encourage them to read and to follow current events. My pre-teen children read the paper and children deliver the paper in most areas. This is not the type of article I want to see in my com- munity newspaper --- those who Dear Sir: ’ Producing a weekly newspaper is likely a very difficult task. A weekly routine of gathering news: stories, human interest ‘arilcles and their accompanying photog- japhs not to mention the business necessity of selling advertising in order to keep the paper afloat financially. This weekly and repetitious routine involves making hundreds -and thousands of individual deci- sions. of content, editing, layout’ or.more generally what is printed what is not printed and how itis printed. Generally speaking the Terrace Standard does a good job in covering the news in Terrace and from our experience has been a positive influence in the com- munity providing a public scr- vice. Unfortunately your headline and subsequent story in the July 6th, 1994 edition “Guilty Verdict _ in Brutal Rape’’, was a rare and unfortunate example of where, in our opinion, you and your staff did not exercise good judgment. You crossed the fine line be- tween reporting the news and sensalionalism. Your graphic des- criptions and ‘‘fil] in the blank’ obscenities did nothing to serve the public good. [t was, rather, simply another contribution to the cesspool the media and society currently swim in. Dear Sir: Every Wednesday, I iook for- _Wward to the paper amiving. I check my mailboxofien. This. Wednesday, I was. hor- tified when I read the headline front page story covering the rape of a Terrace woman. The lurid detail the reporter chose to include made the article tead like some cheap porno bit in an ‘‘under the counter’’ maga- zinc. I immediately threw the paper away grateful that none of my children had Nad a chance to read it, At work, the following day several of my fellow workers ex- ptesscd shock and upset at the ar- - very high standard. It is bad enough that we ‘as adults were sickened to read the story, we at least can put it Into a context within our life experi- ences and exposure. to. other materials. Even so it does not excuse the article. What about children and early teenagers who may have read the story? What does it do for or to them? : You might say if you don’t like it don’t read it or, don’t leave -it lying around for children to read if it bothers you, The point is, however, the Terrace Standard has a reputation of good reporting and we have never felt it-had to be preread for the consumption of minors. ce It has been a trusted publication freely distributed to Terrace households. On the point of not reading it in the first place, you don’t know what you are going to read until you read it and after thal it is much like trying to put toothpaste back in to the tube. You can’. It’s too late. a We trust this letter will cause you to carefully weigh in future whal you report and how ‘you report it. = Mistakes happen, erros in judgment occur. You hold a pub- lic trust, however, and you are held accountable to maintain a Sincerely, Michael and Barbara Leisinger article was offensive, damaging and not fit for printing in any community newspaper. Another coworker commented, “imagine that article being read by the children delivering the paper. They'll never get it oul of their minds.’ There is no defense for such an atticle being present in a com- munity newspaper. Not freedom of the press, not the “right of the public to know’? could ever fusti- fy the loss innocence experience by young people reading detailed descriptions of evil. ’ Although the damage has been done the Standard owes the com- munity an apology and pledge not that Mr. Rinsma’s actions were do can buy a trashy novel. ticle, all in agreement thal the to let this happen again. Sincerely, ~ Sincerely, Cindy Brown, Isabel Brophy Terrace, BC. Terrace, BC. & Rollerblade. * OF ALL THE SKATES OUT TI THESE WILL REALLY STOP war With its revolutionary new ABT™ braking system, these new Bravoblade skates wortt just stop you in our store. They'll stop you on all eight wheels. Easier and with more stability than any brake out there. Add to that a simple closure system and vents to keep yau cool, and you've got a great skate at a price that should have you shouting “bravo!” STOP YOU. Dear Sir: I would like to express my concern with respect to the publica- tion of your front-page article ‘‘Guilty Verdict in Brotal Rape”’, The graphic detailed accounting of the evidence presented at the trial showed, in my opinion, extreme bad judgment. A journalist has @ responsibility to present accurate, unbiased news items. The open flow of information and the ‘‘freedom of the press’’ are vital to all Canadians and are rights everyone should up hold. However, as the editor of a “small town’’ community newspa- per you also hold a responsibility to its citizens, First and fore- most to the victim of his brutal and highly personal crime, J can- not Imagine the dismay this woman must. have felt at seeing the details of her testimony in print. Has shé not suffered enough? Yes, it is true, you did not give her name, but I think that hardly protects her privacy in a town the size of Terrace. The family of the attacker must also have felt a great pain in reading the article. Secondly, the general public picking up the ‘family newspa- per” should not have to have been exposed to this type of sensa- tional journalism, A simple account of the trial, including the criminal’s name would have been enough. We need to know what is happening in Terrace, but does my 9-year-old son or my elderly neighbour have to read what almost borders on pornography? I can only hope that in the future you will provide your reporters with stronger guidance and that you yourself will use betler dis- Bravoblade skates are priced to stop you at: SPORT WERLD Keith Avenue Mall in Terrace FREE $10 GIFT CERTIFICATES TO ALL TEST RIDERS ©1993 Rollerblade, lnc. @ and Mm designate US. fradeniarhs of Rollerblade, Ine. TEST RIDE: Friday, July 15 11 a.m.-5 p.m. er ee ee ee ee ee ee 2 a a ee ee i 2 a 2d cretion in your editing, Dear Sir: Thank you for the. beautiful. coloured pictures of children: in the park which so often decorate yourfrontpage. 2 Right above it is featured the lead story of July 6 edition Guilty Verdictin brutal rape, . Children must read these head- lines too and some are, no doubt, interested in exploring further into the arlicle about violence and sexually deviant behaviour with all the gory details and finesse, You can argue that parents could limit their kids’ access to the newspaper, or thal they can cut out certain parts (censorship!) before passing it on, just like they can screen TV programs or not subscribe to certain channels, But then, most of our newspa’ Sincerely, Sheila Sandover-Sly, Terrace, BC, per carries are children. Having lived here for 21 years and raised a family and call Ter- race our home town, It is a nice and comfortable place to live. It is home, and we love to see the beauty of it reflected in your (our?) weekly paper. Right here in Terrace, we also have a courthouse, open to the public, Anyone can attend a hearing or trial, just like the one talked about, for whatever reasons or motivation. I would just [lke to ask the Ter- race Standard to back off on its sensational approach and not to evoke an image of Sodom or pro- _mote. the “riot squad’? for our ~ town and surrounding arca, Jose Cooseman, Terrace, BC. s Unfortunately, space did not allow for publication of four more letters received on this subject, Our thanks to those individuals for taking the time to write to us and those who phoned in their comments. 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