'DP' coverage flawed

To the editor: I am writing with regard to the DP's coverage and non-coverage of Hanan Ashrawi's visit to Penn last week ("Palestinian leader speaks at Irvine," The Daily Pennsylvanian, 10/26/00). I understand the editorial board has ultimate discretion with regard to the content of the paper; however, there are certain standards of professionalism to which even the DP must be held. First, it was a disgrace that the DP did not cover the visit beforehand. Organizers of the event approached the DP staff several times, asking that an article be written in anticipation of the talk. Their requests were denied every time, with the DP claiming that its policy was to not cover such an event beforehand. It turns out that this policy only applies to certain high-profile Palestinian speakers. I actually went through the DP archives to see how this "policy" played out in the past. Oddly enough, I found that Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Penn on October 6 last year warranted five articles -- at least that was how many I found -- covering the event, starting from September 13. Clearly this must be a new policy at the DP. In all fairness, the DP did decide to cover the actual event. However, the editors apparently decided that a speaker of that caliber -- who attracted an extremely diverse audience of more than 1,000 -- was not nearly as important as the umpteenth delay of a new supermarket opening and buried the article in the bottom right-hand side of the first page. Also, whoever wrote the article must not have attended the same talk I did. The tone of the article gave the impression that Ashrawi was not well received, quoting only a student who belligerently attacked her in a completely inappropriate manner. However, the reality is that Ashrawi got three standing ovations, and the vast majority of the audience was honored to have her at Penn. And even those who did not completely agree with her message respected her as a leading figure in the Palestinian community and one of its most reasonable voices. Finally, I would like to remind the editors and staff at the DP that your purpose on this campus is not to set the agenda; we have a vast administration in place to do just that. Your purpose is to provide a basic but important service -- to keep the Penn community informed and involved. In this case, you did your community a great disservice.

Amel Ahmed Political Science graduate student

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To the Editor: I am deeply troubled by the one-sided coverage of an event that deserved far greater and far more positive press coverage than it received. After attending the speech by Hanan Ashrawi and then having the privilege of listening to a more personal aspect of the Palestinian struggle, it is clear that your editorial board is at best biased. Note your refusal to cover the event before its date, your inability to report the sentiments of the majority of people who attended the talk and the general placement -- rather misplacement -- of the article, obscure in the bottom right-hand corner. This for a speaker who attracted an audience of more than 1,000 students. Perhaps it is time to evaluate your editorial policy and the professionalism of your editors.

Nader Hebela Resident physician Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

A note from the editor

The lack of advance coverage for Hanan Ashrawi's visit was offensive. Benjamin Netanyahu's speech last fall received several days of advance coverage. We don't do a good job of advance coverage. The problem is space. Coverage of what happened yesterday fills our pages; coverage of what will happen tomorrow necessarily gets short shrift. The Connaissance spring and fall speaker, whether Conan O'Brien or Benjamin Netanyahu, always receives advance coverage. Beyond that, there are few guarantees. Jordan's Queen Noor did; Israeli Ambassador Dore Gold did not. The good news: We hope to use our Web site increasingly as a vehicle for information about coming events.

The article about the speech should not have been placed at the bottom of the front page. In retrospect, it is clear that the story should have had a more prominent position on the page. It did not because we make mistakes.

The article itself was biased. It highlighted the minority reaction to Ashrawi and minimized the reaction of the majority. Our goal is to represent all viewpoints. Providing proportional space for the views of the majority would necessarily come at the expense of minority viewpoints without increasing the amount of information the reader receives. The knowledge that a majority of the audience felt one way or another is important, within limits. But what is more important is giving the reader the opportunity to decide which perspective makes the most sense to them.

Letters to the editor have not been published in a timely fashion and guest columns have been cut considerably before running. We aim to publish all substantive and non-redundant letters within a week of receipt. We do not believe any purpose is served by publishing multiple letters that make the same point. The goal is to reflect a viewpoint, not the number of people who hold that viewpoint. We try to publish as many guest columns as possible. To meet both goals, we are often forced to limit the length of letters and columns. Every effort is made to ensure that the broadest possible spectrum of opinion is reflected on the page.

A PASS ad ran in the sports section of the October 11 paper, "a place inappropriate to an ad of political and human concern." The only consideration governing the placement of ads is geometric - ensuring that a regular space is left on the page for editorial content. The subject of an ad is never considered. Who are we to decide what is a "sports" ad and what is not? We try to honor placement requests. We do not accept placement fees. Finally, no member of the editorial staff is in any way involved in the placement of advertising.

Binyamin Appelbaum Executive Editor

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