An edited letter to the editor

Was the meaning changed? You be the judge.

The full text of a letter that had been edited by a newspaper and had subsequently been the subject of a complaint was published in the February 1993 News. On that occasion, the Council had dismissed the complaint. However, this month, in Adjudication No. 695, the Council upheld a complaint that the editing of a letter had breached its principles. It ruled that the changes altered the letter's meaning significantly.

The full letter is reproduced here. The parts of the letter edited out by the newspaper are published here in italics. The words and punctuation in square brackets were added by the newspaper.

Is Journalist Lawrie Kavanagh really serious about knowing why people are less self-reliant today? (CM 4/10/93) All he has to do is to look at the activities of his own profession and the politicians to find the answer.

Self-reliance is a state of mind. It is a way in which one becomes a problem solver and not a problem creator. To acquire it, the individual must first be taught how to think for himself or herself. It is the responsibility of parents and society to help a person achieve this state. When one observes the chaotic world around us, it is clear to see that parents and society have failed in their responsibility.

Journalists and politicians may not be aware of it, but they have had a hand in producing this present state of affairs. These two professions have promoted and exploited the concept of consumerism to help create what we call today a consumer society.

In a consumer society, the ego reigns [remains] supreme. One panders to the ego constantly. We create desires and expectations in the individual through advertisement in the mass media. ["]The customer is always right["] is the constant catch-cry. This principle is then applied to other areas of life. The result can only be a distortion of perception in the mind. This in turn leads to mental ill-health in society.

Is it then any wonder that today we have people who think that society owes them a living? Will people with university degrees solve our problems? We must not delude ourselves. Wisdom and common sense cannot be equated with university degrees.

So what is society to do? The first step for us is quite clear. We must stop distorting perceptions. We have to stop [and] pandering to the individual ego.

Jack R Herman

For more on letters to the editor,
see Deb Kirkman's article from 1998.

Return to APC News 1994 Index

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