Page 4 - Reedley Exponent 12-7-17 E-edition

The Reedley Exponent A4 Thursday, December 7, 2017 Editorial & Opinions
Serving “The World’s Fruit Basket” since 1891
A Mid Valley Publishing Newspaper
Founded March 26, 1891, in a two-story building on the corner of 11th and F streets, by A.S. Jones
Fred Hall — Publisher
In my OPINION
Jon Earnest — Editor
Chris Aguirre — Sports Editor Felicia Cousart Matlosz — Panorama Editor Budd Brockett — Editor Emeritus
QUOTE
“Perpetual devotion to what a man calls his business, is only to be sustained by perpetual neglect of many other things.”
— Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)
Having complained about the “mainstream
media” for the past several months, it seems
only fair that I commend ABC News for their
recent recognition of incorrect reporting on
part of one of their staff — Brian Ross. Ross’
penalty for reporting damning — and false — information on the Trump administration was
a month’s leave without pay. In addition, ABC
News said Ross will no longer cover stories in-
volving President Donald Trump. There was a
time when the rule of thumb used to require
three sources to verify information. We don’t
know what happened to that bit of reporting
wisdom. No wonder these guys often go off half-cocked!
Yes, it essentially is an unpaid vacation for Mr. Ross but I give credit to the television network for openly confirming their reporter was wrong. This small movement gives me hope that the “get Trump at any cost” movement may have subsided and there can be a moder- ated return to an old-fashioned, professional approach to journalistic reportage. Although there are still many others in the media who ruefully display their contempt for those who voted for President Trump, we thank ABC News for the first step.
Much of the slide toward slanted and mediocre reporting during the past decade has been precipitated by a loosening of standards, allowing — even driving — the polarization of the country and allow- ing speculation to make its way into print. Certainly, there is blame attributable to social media since it has become the news source for millions of Americans. The individuals who ply their trade on the internet have a complete lack of journalistic standards. More and more younger reporters are convinced there is no problem with their personal bias becoming part of a story. In their view, a little slant won’t hurt anything. If one is a reader in search of facts, believe me, there is no interest in what some reporter believes. They should have strong, knowledgable editors but they aren’t always that fortunate and wind up learning the business from each other!
To make it perfectly clear, straight news should only deal with provable facts with no opinions or personal clarification. Opinions are the purview of the opinion-editorial page where community journal- ism should be practiced, allowing readers to respond to a writer’s personal view without fear of reprisals. Unlike the internet, you won’t be attacked here.
Addressing those of who pen opinions on a regular basis, I would note that, though there appear to be fewer and fewer of us, every day some very ordinary men or women sit down in front of our typewriter or word processor to share opinions with the general public. We don’t claim to be smarter than anyone.
The only thing extraordinary about these writers is a willingness to share their thoughts with a critical reading audience and open themselves to public critique. Their mandate is to be rational, honest, reasonable and factual in the information they share.
We never claim to be smarter than anyone else, we are just will- ing to share an opinion with readers and allow them an opportunity to tell us what they think.
Being in the position which provides one the luxury of being al- lowed to address a large audience through op-ed is both a blessing and a curse. We’re allowed to share with each of you our personal beliefs and experiences but have to be thick-skinned and open-minded enough to deal with repercussions from those with a different view. And you know what? We love your responses. That, after all, is the reason we do what we do and are allowed space in the newspaper to share our thought process.
We’re prejudiced to the point that we believe newspaper readers are more sophisticated consumers of the news but don’t want anyone to forget there is a difference between the op-ed page and hard news. We, in turn, owe you a firm adherence to journalistic standards.
But, as always, that’s only one man’s opinion!
The hard copy remains here, but an e-edition of The Exponent is coming
Fred Hall
Starting next week, The Exponent will be available to add to your digital reading habits.
Our Reedley paper, as well as oth- er Mid Valley Publishing publications, will be offering an e-edition to our readers beginning with the Dec. 14 issue. Simply explained, the e-edition is the newspaper in electronic form. Those who subscribe will receive the paper on computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone. You’ll be able to read the paper on your screen, enlarging and reducing the type to your preference. You can turn pages with a simple swipe of the finger.
Of course, our print issue always is available for our loyal readers and subscribers. But now you will have the option to read our product as it’s emailed to you. If you’re a Kindle user for your books, you can add the news- paper to your reading menu.
Combined print and e-edition sub- scriptions now are available. If you subscribe now, or add the digital to your subscription, you’ll receive the e-edi- tions for December at no charge. Call The Exponent at 638-2244 for details.
•••
Deborah Lapp sent The Exponent
an email to tell us that Reedley Col- lege is offering a new online course that — in the wake of a rash of sexual harassment and assault allegations and scandals — she calls “a good point of entrance for discussion about is- sues relating to women and men.” The three-unit course is titled Women’s Lit, Engl 36, and Lapp is the instructor. She said there are options for informal discussions and movie dates on the
campus for those who prefer a more social format The class will have just two papers — a midterm and final.
“It’s primarily a reading and dis- cussion board class covering litera- ture by women about women’s expe- riences, focusing on 20th century and modern works and writers,” Lapp said in the email. While recommending the course to more than just the regular college student body, Lapp empha- sized that the class isn’t limited to women. “Men should understand the variety of women’s experiences and insights, and we highly value all points of view,” she said.
The class will look at novels (“Awakening” by Kate Chopin, “A Thousand Acres” by Jane Smiley and “The Women” by Brit Bennett), film versions of novels (“Orlando” by Vir- ginia Woolf and “A Thousand Acres”), plays (“A Spoonful of Water”), poetry, short stories and a graphic novel.
Lapp said that registration for the class currently is open. You can go on- line to reedleycollege.edu to sign up. If you have questions or want more in- formation, you can send her an email at deborah.lapp@reedleycollege.edu.
•••
Thursday, Dec. 7, is a busy day in
Reedley. There are three events sched- uled: the grand opening ceremony for the Paseo 55 affordable housing proj- ect, a Bill of Rights event at Reedley College and the annual Electrical Farm Equipment Parade. Many city leaders will attend the first event, which culmi- nates nearly two years of building the complex at 1233 G St. since ground was broken in January 2016.
Tickets will
be available at the
door for the Reed-
ley College Bill of
Rights 226th anni-
versary event. It’s
a fundraiser for the
college’s Constitu-
tion Week activi-
ties each Septem-
ber. Jim Patterson,
state Assembly member for the 23rd District, is the keynote speaker. The evening begins with a social hour at 5:30 p.m. followed by the program at 6:30 in the Student Center.
That event occurs right around the time Electrical Parade floats are lin- ing up on G Street north of 8th Street and Pioneer Park. The parade then heads south on G Street, displaying an array of colorful holiday lights on farm equipment customized as floats.
This year’s theme is “Superheroes at Christmas (real or fictional).” Floats will be decorated with a superhero theme, and the parade is an annual early December tradition in the city. The Reedley Downtown Association and Adventist Health.
This weekend, Reedley College is hosting a fall fundraiser for the col- lege’s planned Center for Fine & Per- forming Arts. The event starts at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, in the college’s Student Center. The “Gatsby Gala” will feature a 1920s theme, and attendees are encouraged to come dressed in 1920s-themed attire. The college is planning a spring fundraiser sometime in April, and we’ll provide more infor- mation as it becomes available.
The need for a cultural shift on gender-based violence
By Laura Finley
Guest columnist
Nov. 25 kicked off the annual 16 Days of Activ- ism against Gender-based Violence. At no time has this work been more neces- sary than now. From ram- pant sexual harassment to sexual assault, domestic violence and sexual traf- ficking, women across the globe and in the U.S. face gender-based violence at horrifying rates.
I’d like to start with my recent personal experi- ence, although it was defi- nitely not the first time I have experienced it in my 45 years. I share these ex- periences because while there has been impor- tant attention paid lately to men in power abusing women who are their sub- ordinates in the workplace or other realms, it’s essen- tial to remember that “ev- eryday” men also commit these same acts of sexual harassment, abuse, and assault. Not because their work position affords them any particular power over a woman but because the general sense that they are entitled to do and act as they please is preva- lent in how many boys and men are socialized. Not long ago, I experienced unwanted sexual conduct from someone half my age. He had no social power over me other than the fact that he’s a male in a cul- ture in which some males are taught that things are theirs for the taking. Likewise, on my campus
I have been catcalled by boys recently out of high school who feel entitled to yell repulsive things. A 15-year-old girl I know was harassed by much older men while wearing a car- oling costume for a holiday event. This is ubiquitous, so normalized that people are surprised by all the al- legations that are emerg- ing. We should not be. Hor- rified, yes. Outraged, yes. But not surprised.
Here is why we should not be surprised: Statistics have long shown the scope of these problems. Studies have found that some one- third of American women experience sexual harass- ment in the workplace. Ac- cording to the World Health Organization (WHO), near- ly one-third of the world’s women has endured physi- cal or sexual intimate part- ner violence. Domestic violence kills more women worldwide than civil wars. Far more people in Amer- ica, largely women, have been killed by their part- ners than were U.S forces in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, combined. American women are twice as likely to suffer domestic violence as breast cancer. In the U.S., more women are injured from domes- tic violence than from car accidents, rapes, and mug- gings — combined. A wom- an in the U.S. is sexually as- saulted every 98 seconds, according to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN). Women and young girls are sold
into sexual slavery, not just overseas but on American soil. They are often re- cruited from websites like Backpage and Craigslist with promises of lucra- tive modeling or acting jobs. More than 3,500 sex trafficking cases were re- ported to the National Hu- man Trafficking Resource Center in 2016, a figure that far underestimates the scope of the problem given that most instances are not reported and a girl can be trafficking multiple times per day.
Males in powerful posi- tions are even more able to exploit and demean women and those they see as pow- erless, as these people fear they will lose their jobs, their reputation, and even their lives if they resist or if they tell anyone. This is tremendously clear with the spate of sexual ha- rassment, misconduct and assault allegations being levied against politicians, media moguls, and celeb- rities, including but sadly not limited to Bill Cosby, Bill O’Reilly, Harvey Wein- stein, Kevin Spacey, Matt Lauer, Garrison Keillor, Roy Moore, Al Franken and of course, Donald Trump.
What are we to do? The good news is there is a lot that is already happening. New laws are criminaliz- ing revenge pornography, helping to stop males from sharing provocative photos and imagery as a means of controlling women. Women are speaking out about the harassment, abuse and as-
sault and refusing to be si- lenced. Legal settlements — like the recent one in Seattle involving three women who were sold into sexual slav- ery when they were 13 to 15 years old —were awarded against Backpage. Activists are continuing to strategize and build on the energy and momentum from last years’ Women’s marches.
In South Florida, I am fortunate to be able to work with a nonprofit organization, No More Tears, which helps victims of many of these forms of gender-based violence. This unique organization is entirely volunteer-run and provides comprehensive services that allow victims to heal and to build happy and healthy lives. Addi- tional information about No More Tears is available at nomoretearsusa.org. I also am co-organizer of the College Brides Walk, a dat- ing and domestic violence awareness campaign that reaches several thousand high school and college youth. More information can be found at college- brideswalk.com.
We know more such organizations are needed nationwide.
It is my hope that the increased conversation about these issues is indeed a cultural tipping point. Enough is enough.
Laura Finley, Ph.D., teaches in the Barry Uni- versity (Fla.) Department of Sociology & Criminology and is syndicated by Peace- Voice.
Jon Earnest
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