Wvc Hockey Stars Win All-state Honors

Anna Sereta 
Dec. 9, 1994 
Anna E. Sereta, 81, Of Peace Street, Hazleton, Died Friday Morning At 
Hazleton-st. Joseph Medical Center.

Sunday, December 11, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 10B 





We want `just the facts' from media &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The most famous odd couple on the American political scene, Mary Matalin
and &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; James Carville, were in Texas last week, talking politics and promoting
their co-memoir of the 1992 presidential electionYou might not figure these
two would see eye to eye on much of anything. But on at least one issue, their
views are identical. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Matalin, a conservative political strategist who worked for President Bush,
complained about "bigfoot" news organizations that attempt to manipulate
public opinion with biased reporting and flat-out fiction. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Carville, a liberal political strategist who engineered Bill Clinton's '92
campaign, complained about "bigfoot" news organizations that attempt to
manipulate public opinion with biased reporting and flat-out fiction. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Conservatives and liberals, even those who are madly in love with each
other, tend to fight like cats and dogs until the subject of the news media
comes up. On that topic, the right and left in this country almost always find
themselves in complete agreement: The media establishment is a disgrace. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Carville's objections to the media differed from Matalin's only in terms of
specific complaints: He doesn't like the way they treat Clinton and his
presidency; she doesn't like the way they treat conservatives such as
soon-to-be House Speaker Newt Gingrich. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Whether dissatisfaction with the media comes from conservatives or
liberals, the bottom line is always the same: The media are out of touch with
their audience. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The problem, Matalin said, is that the media -- particularly "bigfeet" such
as The New York Times, Washington Post and the TV networks -- are in the
business of interpreting events rather than reporting them. And, she said, the
media's interpretations are almost always at odds with the attitudes of large
numbers of readers and viewers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 With the advent of talk radio and new technology enabling computer users to
access massive amounts of unedited information, Matalin said, the mainstream
media could soon become irrelevant to political discourse in general and to
the electoral process in particular. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The truth is, the mainstream media have already become irrelevant to lots
of people. Many newspaper readers and TV viewers are fed up with what they
consider a pervasive liberal viewpoint in news reports. And even those who see
no liberal media conspiracy are disgusted with the media's emphasis on "attack
journalism" and the sort of reporting that Matalin and Carville call
"horserace stories." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As an example, Matalin offered coverage of the recently approved GATT trade
treaty: We saw news story after news story predicting which side would prevail
in the GATT debate but virtually no coverage whatsoever telling us what was
contained in the agreement, or how its passage would affect the U.S. and the
world. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And here's an example that Matalin and Carville didn't mention because the
story hadn't fully developed by the time they spoke in Fort Worth. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Last Sunday, Newt Gingrich appeared on "Meet the Press" and said he'd been
told that up to 25 percent of White House staff members may have used drugs
within four or five years before joining the Clinton administration. The media
went nuts. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But what did they go nuts about? Certainly not about the possibility that
the president of the United States might be employing recent drug users and
that the employees in question might not qualify for required security
clearances. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 No, the media went berserk about the the incoming speaker of the House
having the audacity to make such an accusation against -- gasp! -- White House
aides. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Next, they went nuts telling us how angry the White House chief of staff
and the president's wife were that Gingrich had said such a thing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Then they went nuts wondering whether the angry White House and the
controversial new speaker would be able to work together on legislative
issues. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Here we are, one week later, and the media still haven't told the public
the only thing most people want to know about Gingrich's remark: Is it true? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Maybe the truth is too hard to interpret. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bill Thompson, former associate editor of The Times Leader, is a columnist
for the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

We Want `just The Facts' From Media 
The Most Famous Odd Couple On The American Political Scene, Mary Matalin And 
James Carville, Were In Texas Last Week, Talking Politics And Promoting Their 
Co-memoir Of The 1992 Presidential Election.

We Want `just The Facts' From Media The Most Famous Odd Couple On The American Political Scene, Mary Matalin And James Carville, Were In Texas Last Week, Talking Politics And Promoting Their Co-memoir Of The 1992 Presidential Election.