I used to think that being a newspaper reporter – later, a TV news

reporter _ was glamorous and noble. They reportedly would go to jail

before revealing the source of information.

Things have happened to change my mind. For one, the repetition of

bad news, over and over and over, `til you dreaded to open the paper or turn

on the TV. It seemed to escalate with the O.J. Simpson trial, the

interminable ride in the white Bronco, rumors of romance between Clark and

Darden, the buildup of the occupant of the guest house, and most important,

TV in the courtroom. It was reported that Judge Ito played to the camera.

I think Simpson was guilty, and that the circus atmosphere of

newspaper reporting and TV reporting and the camera in the courthouse

contributed to a miscarriage of justice.

Another instance of repetition was the Lonnie Davis killing spree. I

turned the TV on to Channel 4 at 5 o’clock. It was a classic example of

saturation of the airwaves with few facts. Every channel did it.

On Channel 4, Liz Rocca, who is a good reporter, was evidently in

the danger zone near the house Davis took over, complete with guns and

ammunition. If she was terrified, that is understandable. She was almost

incoherent.

I turned the TV off, and learned later on that Davis had been killed

at 5 o’clock. There was no need to put Rocca or the viewers through such

an ordeal.

There seems to be a bias where Safeco Field and Emerald Downs

are concerned. Safeco has had reams of publicity and a full section in the

PI. I’ll wager Emerald Downs had more coverage in the PI today than they

have ever had.

Let’s make some comparisons. Ron Crockett found investors;

he didn’t get stuck with a “John Ellis,” and he didn’t try to stick the

taxpayers. He did an excellent job of replacing wetlands. When the surface of

the oval had problems, he fixed it.

The millionaire owners of the Mariners got around the no vote

on the baseball stadium, wangled the most expensive one in the country,

and they want another $100 million from the taxpayers. Will they give us

some of the profits? I wonder what the racetrack pays into the state for

gambling tax each month? I don’t hear them complain like the

Mariner-millionaire owners do.

This is a real tragedy. When the terrified students of Littleton,

Colo., came out of the school, hands up, they were looking for a familiar face,

parents or teachers. They were met by strangers, reporters and

photographers. The piranha had smelled blood.

Thank God the weekly papers and small newspapers did not go for

the yellow journalism craze! Maybe the answer is to boycott the big

daily newspapers and the huge volume of news on television.

Marguerite Ensley

Carnation