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Note: The following was taken exactly from the Press Enterprise Editorial section of the May 27, 2002 edition. Their policy for editing any opinion related articles is that they do not edit for anything except length. The maximum length is obstensibly 300 words. But on several occasions, I have had articles longer than that published by this same newspaper. Why did they edit this one? If you read the text below this, you will be reading the article as I submitted it to the Press Enterprise. The original was highly critical of the media in general, and especially of the Press Enterprise. They saw fit to remove those lines of my original letter.
READERS'
OPEN FORUM
Rush To Judgment
...Tanya Hadden had her credentials suspended because she had been arrested with a minor child in a Las Vegas hotel. Not in a hotel room...a hotel gambling area. Bad judgment sure, but it's hardly a conviction for child molestation. Not only does the press have her picture and name all over every form of media, but now the state officials have done her in as well.
...if memory serves, a few years back a male teacher here in the Inland Empire was arrested after being accused of fondling three young girls. His picture, like Hadden's, all over the news, name in lights. Then the three girls admitted making it up as retribution for receiving low grades. By that time, the only thing people will remember is that he was jailed for molestation.
What really bothers me is that I haven't heard one peep from the teacher's union or the ACLU! Why? If any issue deserves the attention of the civil rights watchdogs, it's this.
Joe M. Young
Corona, CA
And now, my article as it was originally submitted with all of the deleted text in bold/red:
A Rush To Judgment
I've been seeing something in the last ten days or so that is very disturbing. It is the irresponsibility of the media coverage surrounding the Tanya Hadden arrest. Moreover, the most blatant offender in this rush to judgment is the Press Enterprise.
Ms Hadden had her teaching credentials suspended because she had been arrested with a minor child (a 17 year-old male student) in a Las Vegas hotel. Not in a hotel room...a hotel gambling area. Bad judgment sure, but it's hardly a conviction for child molestation. Not only does the press have her picture and name all over every form of media, but now the state officials have done her in as well. But the worst of all of this is that she hasn't even been formally arraigned yet! That is a deplorable dereliction of duty for any member of the media..let alone an entire news organization!
There are consequences to be endured for this lack of professionalism. Case in point. A few years back a male teacher here in the Inland Empire was arrested after being accused of fondling three young girls. His picture, like Hadden's, all over the news, name in lights. Then the three girls admitted making it up as retribution for receiving low grades. By that time, the only thing people remembered was that he was jailed for molestation.
Another thing that really bothers me is that I haven't heard one peep from the teacher's union or the ACLU! Why? The ACLU was frothing at the lips trying to get behind one lunatic parent who did not like the fact that God's name was recited in our country's Pledge of Allegiance. They couldn't get into a federal courtroom fast enough for that. That has always been the very worst aspect of that much needed organization...when civil rights are truly being violated, they are sitting around planning their next press conference so they can self-justify their very existence. If any issue deserves the attention of the civil rights watchdogs, it's this.
Joe M. Young
Corona, CA
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