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FIRING LINE: Circus O' Journalism I was disappointed to see Friday's issue of The Daily Texan, with more than half of the front page devoted to Ringling Bros. The article blurred the distinction between advertisements and journalism. The headline even included their slogan, "The Greatest show on Earth." The Texan even gave reasons to see the circus with a "fact box" titled "Go to the circus tonight and see..." Thank you, Daily Texan, for telling me what exactly to do tonight, where to go and why I should go there. The story was apparently a "feature story," but language like an "awesome array of tigers" or "magic" of the circus is not colorful, it is advertising. Ringling Bros. is on its "130th edition." I'm sure that same story has been done 130 times before. A circus in town is not a front page, above the fold, three-quarters of the page event. One would expect the story to include how Austin animal rights groups are currently working to ban animal acts in the city. Belfast, Northern Ireland passed such a resolution recently, and other cities across the nation and world are undertaking similar efforts. When Ringling Bros. has stopped in other cities, local papers have picked up on this. Unfortunately, The Texan did not. The article glamorized the the "amazing" acts and "thrills and hilarity," but neglected the torture, neglect and isolation that the animals experience when out of the spotlight. The Texan has a responsibility to its readers to give more than a rehashed press release. University students don't turn to the paper to learn about how the "Unbelievable Human Clown" is doing. They want to know the NEWS. Readers deserve to know what the city council is facing, and what people across the nation are fighting for. Will Potter |