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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 26, 1987)
Bird receives 'Integrity' award; criticizes press By Angela Muni/ Emerald Editorial Editor More than 250 people came to remember Wayne Morse and honor the woman reflecting his ideals when Rose Bird accepted the first annual Wayne Morse Integrity in Politics award on Saturday. Bird, former chief justice of the California Supreme (x>urt, received two standing ovations as she spoke to an audience fill ed with politicians, friends and admirers of Morse. She told them how she believes America has become an “instant socie ty" because of quick, super ficial news briefs "The media. I believe, are a remarkable mirror of American society — they show us reflec jzmiL Enjoy Delicious Chinese Food The word is out Now you can enjoy delicious Chinese food at the most reasonable prices Try our mouth watering Sweet and Sour Pork or our tempting Chicken with Almonds You’ll love it1 SKYLIGHT-TOGO (above the mam desk) Lunch: 10:30-2:30 M-F Snacks: 5-10 M-Th live images of who and what wi* are,” she said. The press has a large impact on people’s lives, she stated, and while it can be foolish or destructive, it can also be wise and constructive Bird stressed that the press must have the freedom to cover issues as it wishes "The press will never feel free if it is chilled by codifica I nos ROSE tSROSE by Pat Brady 747-6632 VOLUNTEER NOW! *** »tother Big Sister •f •MCXXMGV* - tion," Bird said As a mirror of society, the media have quickened to meet people's fast-paced demands, she continued This, in turn, af fects our ability to think about deeper moral and philosophical questions. ''The need for time to think has never been greater, but the opportunities to do so are few and far between,” she said. The substitution of "reflex for reflection" will have a negative impact on America’s future and the rule of law. Bird explained. America has moved into a "life-in-the-fast-lane urgency.” without a sense of purpose. Because of thir lack of stability. America clings to ideas hoping they will support us then discards them, she said. "Things are happening so fast we have no sense of what they mean. Our days become like changing channels on a television set." Bird continued. A society that seems to revolve around television "demands instant action to the most complex of problems." she said. According to Bird. America has become an "instant socie ty" from disposable food to disposable news While people can instantly know news from around the globe, they forget events from only 10 years ago and fail to correlate them with events happening now UO-Bookstore Believe your ears TECHNICS Audio \TECHNICS SA-180 Stereo Receiver • 35 waits per channel • AM/FM 16 station presets • Quart; synthesized digital tuner 189*5 List 245 00 v TECHNICS ST-G40 Stereo Tuner List 230 00 1599;;.. TECHNICS v . —. — SL-BD20 Turntable • Semi-automatic turntable • Belt drive, cartridge included 129*1. List 149 95 TECHNICS SA 290 Digital Racaivar • 50 watts per channel • 16 AM/FM presets • Quartz digital tuner List 290 00 2299s5. TECHNICS SU-V40 Integrated Amplifier • 50 watts per channel • 007 total harmonic distart • CD direct switch function 259*L List 340 00 TECHNICS SL-P120 Compact Disc • High speed transport • Digital filtering • Headphone output control 2499L List 320 00 NO INTEREST FINANCING I3W» * K»nc«d wr ? »*> x> SAT 10 oo?. oo (M4131 Bird, who lost her re-election campaign for the California Supreme Court last year when her opponents ran ads claiming she let murderers go free, criticized the press for condon ing superficiality. "Subtlties are necessary causalties in the television net work's battle for ratings," she explained "And long conse quences that cannot be explain ed in less than one minute are often not explained at all." Without this detail or ex planation. she continued. America loses its "sense of history and with it a measure of our own humanity as well.” Reality has been replaced with an image so that the "ap pearance of what is being packaged becomes... far more important than the package’s content." she said. Even though the images may lie inconsistent, she added, "consistency is hardly a prere quisite to success in a society so conditioned to focus on the moment.” Bird concluded the burden put upon the media is great They must take the resposibility to report in-depth news and refrain from the instant package. "We must have commen tators who have the ability and freedom to bring insight and understanding to the blur and glare of current events." she explained. But it also is the public’s responsibility to encourage this coverage from the press, she added. “We should not cease to ap plaud and support the press in its endeavors to shine light into the dark recesses of governmen tal decision-making." she said. ’’But when the press simplifies and trivializes things in the name of entertainment, when the press contrives polls and other barometers of public opinion as if they were always entitled to the final word of democratic government, when the pruss is willing to disregard the individuals freedom of speech and right to privacy in favor of the untraveled exercise of its own authority, then we must balk," she added. Cash For Textbooks Mon Fri Smith Kamil) Bookstore 768 E. 13th 1 Block From Campus 345-1651
