2008 Woodie Awards
False pretenses a nagging problem in the media and life
By Mike Goodwin
Rocket Staff Writer
Issue date: 11/18/05 Section: Opinion
I have talked about the misrepresentation of information and conveyed to whatever audience is reading a sort of conspiracy theory. I'm usually not huge on these, but the idea seems so practical recently with media outlets being heavily criticized for biased representations of news. It's easy to miss a lot of things going on around us. We don't know a lot of what is happening in the world because it's not reported correctly, or, in this case, at all.
I never thought I'd be living proof of it, albeit on a lesser scale. Every article you read of mine is edited in some fashion. Sometimes quotation marks are added or some of my stylistic elements are dropped in favor of a more newspaper type of atmosphere. Then there are times editing takes place just for the sake of space, a completely understandable element in newspaper writing that I would rarely argue over. Other times though, twice I can think of off the top of my head, important events that, although happened, were cut off because they don't fit into my article thematically. Apparently that is. Sometimes I see the point and sometimes I completely disagree. I happen to completely disagree with last week's editing of my column. I don't know how I can offend people over some others who are printed in this paper but I supposedly wield that power. The frustration isn't even censorship; it's not having any part of the process that annoys me.
I'm sure there is plenty of opportunity to be involved in the process of everything we don't see. It just doesn't come easily. Do you really care I'm edited? I am not an activist for or against war, or much else for that matter. Some would say it's a good thing so as to witness the daily events that take place in our modern world as objectively as possible. I know of professors who don't believe in objectivity though. I think I'm missing all sorts of information from both sides because of all the smokescreens and fog institutions place on opinionated facts. I don't know what to believe from anyone anymore to be honest.
I never thought I'd be living proof of it, albeit on a lesser scale. Every article you read of mine is edited in some fashion. Sometimes quotation marks are added or some of my stylistic elements are dropped in favor of a more newspaper type of atmosphere. Then there are times editing takes place just for the sake of space, a completely understandable element in newspaper writing that I would rarely argue over. Other times though, twice I can think of off the top of my head, important events that, although happened, were cut off because they don't fit into my article thematically. Apparently that is. Sometimes I see the point and sometimes I completely disagree. I happen to completely disagree with last week's editing of my column. I don't know how I can offend people over some others who are printed in this paper but I supposedly wield that power. The frustration isn't even censorship; it's not having any part of the process that annoys me.
I'm sure there is plenty of opportunity to be involved in the process of everything we don't see. It just doesn't come easily. Do you really care I'm edited? I am not an activist for or against war, or much else for that matter. Some would say it's a good thing so as to witness the daily events that take place in our modern world as objectively as possible. I know of professors who don't believe in objectivity though. I think I'm missing all sorts of information from both sides because of all the smokescreens and fog institutions place on opinionated facts. I don't know what to believe from anyone anymore to be honest.
