BY GEORGE BERES
Compounding Folly
Journalism deans twist in the wind.
N
othing gives my views on journalism greater credibility than to have the
University of Oregon dean of journalism and his retired predecessor twist in
the wind as they take issue with them. Both Dean
Tim Gleason and former Dean Arnold Ismach have
earned deserved respect in education. That’s why their
comments about public relations can be so danger-
ous. It all started when Eugene Weekly stated
(Slant, 7/14) what I had been writing for several
years: It is folly for schools of journalism to teach
public relations as if it were part of journalism.
Long personal experience taught me the distinc-
tion between them. Though I had a degree in journal-
ism, I squandered that training by spending much of
my professional life as a PR man on behalf of college ath-
letics. So I have a frame of reference that may give credence to
what I say.
My occasional PR lies about sports were petty. It’s not petty when your govern-
ment hires a public relations firm to confuse us about its image, as corporations and
politicians long have done. That hit close to home with word the UO School of
Journalism was starting what it described as a journalism program at the university’s
Portland Center. Trouble is, it is a class in public relations, not journalism.
Suggesting PR has anything to do with journalism is like the government line that
Saddam Hussein collaborated with Osama bin Laden in the 9/11 attacks. It is disturb-
ing when those entrusted with developing journalists make synonymous two disci-
plines whose goals are antithetical.
Gleason defends the indefensible in his letter (7/28), claiming PR in a journalism
school is part of “a clear statement of our commitment to journalism.” He further
misleads by calling PR “communication management,” then claiming PR in Portland
sets the stage for a “much broader vision” of journalism.
The hypocrisy is not his alone. It is shared with most journalism deans nationally.
They spread the misconception because of funding problems that are eased by en-
rolling many students more interested in PR’s higher pay than journalism’s ethics.
Ismach told me some time ago, as he wrote in his published letter, that mixing PR
and journalism students gives the former a greater appreciation for ethics. Hardly.
Journalism students instead see where corners can be cut in ethics, a tactic pursued
by their educators.
Most journalists define their profession as getting facts on matters of public con-
cern and presenting them with honesty. Public relations by contrast operates on be-
half of a client, mixing facts and fiction selectively to paint as attractive an image as
possible.
The very name of the educational program reflects an identity crisis. Most schools
now are listed as School of Journalism & Communications. How very sly. Just add a
word to the name, and you justify being able to lump public relations, advertising, pro-
motions, et al with journalism.
Significant journalists have reinforced my contention. The late Fred Friendly, who
was a valued assistant to Edward R. Murrow decades ago, told me “It is a tragedy jour-
nalism education has any connection with public relations.” NPR’s Daniel Schorr told
me the same thing. Ken Bode, a recent dean at my alma mater, Northwestern, said: “I
agree with you. But I’m too new here to begin rocking the boat in such a fundamental
way.”
The identity problem will persist so long as our public funding for education falls
short, and journalism educators choose to use naming solutions for larger problems.
That choice keeps journalism headed down a slope to meaningless identity.
The UO could start a corrective effort by choosing to teach journalism, not public
relations, at its Portland Center. All schools could help by following one of their basic
guidelines, conciseness: Drop that unnecessary word, communications.
George Beres of Eugene, a 1955 graduate of Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, hosts “In the Public
Interest” on Community TV.
TO THE EDITOR
APPETITE FOR WAR
This war stuff is getting mighty costly.
The fee for the U.S. war in Iraq is over $1
billion per week, but the hidden cost of bat-
tle casualties is largely invisible. As a coun-
try, we tend not to want to think about it. It
doesn’t fit the heroic bombast and bravado.
There are eight soldiers injured for each
one killed. That’s double the rate in
Vietnam. The amputation rate is also dou-
ble. Many of them are multiple amputees,
needing two or three prostheses. Those
prostheses cost between $5,000 and
$100,00 each and will need ongoing read-
justments.
Twenty-five percent of those wounded
have traumatic head injuries. No one knows
how much that will cost in the future or how
those injuries will affect people in the
decades to come. Army neurologists also
believe that many brain injuries are going
undiagnosed due to concussive trauma.
Then there are the veterans who will suf-
fer from post-traumatic stress disorder and
other forms of mental illness. Already, one
quarter of deactivated veterans from the
Iraq war seeking help from the VA have
been diagnosed with mental disorders.
The sad truth is that too many Americans
have an appetite for war. It makes them feel
very, very American. But it has to be a war
that ends fast, with few American casualties
and without seeing or counting the dead on
the other side. Values indeed.
This war for oil and empire is not going
according to that script — and then Johnny
comes marching home.
Roscoe Caron
Eugene
KEY VALUES AT STAKE
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4 AUGUST 18, 2005
In the recent controversy over establish-
ing an enterprise zone (EZ) in west Eugene,
Mayor Piercy has worked hard to make the
best of a difficult situation. After agreeing
verbally to the near-unanimous City
Council proposal for an EZ with tax-break
caps back in April, the Lane County
Commissioners (after the state approved the
zone) suddenly changed course and de-
manded that caps be “optional” and — get
this — that tax breaks would be based not
just on creation of new jobs, but on “reten-
tion” of existing jobs. The latter would have
opened the door to a vast tax-break give-
away, with no links to social objectives such
as creating new, well-paying jobs.
Piercy and the City Council rightly said
no to the county’s tax-break candy store
idea. Yet Eugene still faced a newly ap-
proved EZ in place with no caps and no
local standards. The council’s threat to take
legal action to nix the EZ, while potentially
costly and with an uncertain outcome, nev-
ertheless gave Piercy additional negotiating
leverage. The county agreed to her compro-
mise proposal which required dropping the
double-dipping “existing jobs” idea from
the tax break formula.
If the city passes the compromise pro-
posal, there will still be much work ahead,
including discussions with the county about
establishing community standards such as
high wages and worker health insurance
tied to the last 25 percent of tax breaks.
Many thanks to Piercy and council progres-
sives for keeping our focus on the key val-
ues at stake here.
Greg McLauchlan
Eugene
PEEPSHOW GETTING OLD
That was a nice story (8/4) about the
young ladies on 11th Avenue who have fig-
ured out that shaking your rear end at pass-
ing cars while holding a hose will undoubt-
edly make you a few bucks. I live near the
ladies and what went from a maybe once a
month carwash has turned into an almost
daily extravaganza.
I can’t of course speak for the neighbor-
hood, but as for myself, I am getting a little
tired of the whole peepshow circus. It isn’t
just cuties prancing in their yard waving at
people, it’s gyrating in the flow of traffic
with rap music blasting filthy lyrics