Newsroom: (541) 346-5511
Room 300, Erb Memorial Union
PO. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403
E-mail: editor@dailyemerald.com
Online Edition:
www.dailyemerald.com
Monday, January 14,2002
Oregon Daily Emerald
n
Editor in Chief:
Jessica Blanchard
Managing Editor:
Jeremy Lang
Editorial Editor:
Julie Lauderbaugh
Assistant Editorial Editor:
Jacquelyn Lewis
Editorial
NBC: Cheers
for running
forbidden
liquor ads
(U-WIRE) LOS ANGELES —'
NBC plans to break a network tel
evision ban on running hard
liquor commercials this weekend
by airing an ad from Guinness .
UDV's Smirnoff vodka during an
episode of "Saturday Night Live."
We'll drink to NBC for standing
up to the unpopular idea of run
ning these commercials in the
face of other television networks'
censorship.
TV networks have an immense
influence over their viewing audi
ences, shaping public opinion and
defining the boundaries of Ameri
can values. As the dominant media
source in the country, they have an
obligation to ensure fairness in ad
vertising and freedom of speech.
Alcohol and tobacco companies
are legal businesses in the United
States, and, as such, they're enti
tled to the same treatment by the
media as other corporations. Beer
makers, for example, have been ad
vertising on major TV networks for
years without significant public
backlash.
It's understandable that some
may express reservations about
having tobacco and alcohol adver
tised on TV, but NBC is doing this
in a public-friendly manner. The
ads are designed for programs air
ing after 9 p.m., and can extend to
other shows that have an audi
ence demographic of 85 percent
aged 21 and older. The hard
liquor companies must also run
advertisements warning of alco
hol's side-effects and dangers as a
part of their contract. Also, ads
making an effort to target younger,
impressionable viewers will not
be run by the network.
All other TV networks must fol
low suit with NBC and stop play
ing babysitter and censor with
adult viewers.
Editor's note: This staff editorial is courtesy
of the University of California Los Angeles
campus newspaper, the Daily Bruin.
^ PA
Peter Utsey Emerald
<=> _<&? a c> reier uisey tmeraia
A more timely celebration .
he New York New Year’s Eve apple
has dropped once again, and many
JL. did fall while passionately em
bracing a special someone. That is, if
you’re one of the lucky ones.
I spent the evening with my most
beloved, uh, cousin. Of course, I would
like to have spent it with someone unrelat
ed to me — there is only so much embrac
ing you can do with even a male relative.
But, alas, I have had no such luck at the
start of this new year.
Doesn't it seem strange that the new year
officially begins its cycle in January? The
Babylonian New Year, in 2000 B.C., began
with the first New Moon after the Vernal
Equinox, which would the make new year
occur in March, the beginning of spring,
which actually makes sense. But emperors
continued to tamper with the calendar until
it became out of synchronization with the
sun. In order to set the calendar right, the
Roman senate, in 153 B.C., declared Jan. 1
the start of the new year. And now, because
of Julius Caesar’s supposed all-knowing dec
laration, we celebrate New Year’s in January.
Not that I don’t respect Caesar, but per
of us probably watched its splen
sonally I think the new year should be cele
brated-Sept. 1. After all, that’s when stu
dents are gathering up their gear for school,
making new promises concerning GPAs,
friendships, jobs and activities to join or
lead. Of course, the whole world is not in
school, but most fami
lies have kids who are
involved in the school
system. The end of sum
mer seems to commem
orate a new turn and
change, pulling yourself
out of the lazy, hazy
days of summer sun
bathing and into “beau
tiful” early mornings.
The new year is in the
dead of winter! Nothing,
at least as far as the
weather goes, seems to
be happening. At least at
the end of August we
have the gathering of the harvest. Everything
is ripe and in its fullest condition to be
plucked. It is the time to taste the sweet or
bitter fruits from the year before.
Added to all this, the nice weather in
September helps us to keep resolutions.
Debenham
Columnist
For example, more than half of us have
probably vowed to lose five or more
pounds this January or at least get in better
shape. But what can we do when we open
the door to a downpour of rain and foggy
muck that sneers back at us, “Want to lose
all that Christmas chocolate, eh? Ha! Try to
do it in this!” And for all those lucky coun
tries that actually have summer in January,
well, I think, after 2000 years, it’s about
time we rotate who gets the warm weather.
Also, the new year comes directly after
Christmas, the biggest holiday of the year.
Everyone has kind of had enough of party
ing and they’re completely broke. OK, we
can never have enough of partying, but we
are broke. I think it would be better if the
two holidays were more evenly spaced out.
Now, considering all this, I am sure you
will all resolve to make your resolutions in
September. Hey, you could even consider
this your innocent way of procrastinating.
As for me, I have but one resolution this
January: Have a hot date for next New
Year’s Eve.
E-mail columnist Tara Debenham at
taradebenham@dailyemerald.com. Her opinions
do not necessarily reflect those of the Emerald.
Letters to the editor
Erb Essentials
missed essential point
Now that the verdict is in on decid
ing whether or not to sell tobacco to
young adults at this University, I must
express my disappointment. I am in
agreement with professor V. Pat Lom
bardi. I don’t understand how an in
stitution, designed and funded to help
young adults prosper through educa
tion, could also promote a product
that does the exact opposite! How is
this not unethical? What’s worse is the
University actually benefits from
causing this type of harm. My sugges
tion to the EMU is to formulate a new
source of income through fundraising
and the like. A lack of finances is not
uncommon to the University and the
setback can be dealt with.
Christa Shively was quoted as say
ing that she doesn’t think it to be “an
issue of morals or ethics” but an “is
sue of choice. ” This is true in that stu
dents who make that choice to buy to
bacco can do so off campus. The
moral and ethical issue lies in the fact
that the University is maintaining
such a harmful choice.
That being said, I congratulate the
University Bookstore for making the
right decision. As for Erb Essentials,
they have lost my business until the
right and moral decision is made to
discontinue selling tobacco products.
Emily Poulsen
freshman
pre-journalism
Harrington hype
was too costly
The point is not whether Joey Har
rington won the Heisman Trophy,
which he didn’t, but the frivolous
spending of $250,000. People were
laughing at the University for placing
a billboard of Harrington in Manhat
tan at the very same time that the
University needed to get out of the
second and third tiers.
Just think about how many schol
arships the money could have paid
for. Please don't say it was private
money. That excuse is quite short on
fundamentals.
The University of Oregon is not
Virginia, Wisconsin or North Caroli
na. Just check the Princeton Review
or U.S. News & World Report. Do
you want to know how Wisconsin
promoted themselves a couple of
years ago? They faxed and mailed
their propaganda. They could not
have justified spending $250,000
on some jock!
Could you ever, ever envision
Stanford doing that?
Robert McShane
Scottsdale, Ariz.
Letters to the
Editor and
Guest
Commentaries
J“.Policy
Letters to the
edit . guest
eon. $ are
encouraged. Letters
are m
wc jest
con ... jes
to ds.
Ft <de
coni. short.
The Emerald reserves
tie right to edit
fori >:mar