Woodcrest Homeowners, Association Reach Deal 
Most Flooded-out Residents 
Are To Pay $250 In Maintenance 
Back Dues, Plus $12.50 A Month 
Until The Government Buyout.

Ada Miller 
January 26, 1998 
Ada J. Miller, 65, Of Rr 3 Wapwallopen, Conyngham Township, Died Monday At 
Home.

Wednesday, January 28, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





Media forgo the message for the clamor in Monica Lewinsky story &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The trashing of America. That is how some of us saw the frenzy that seized
most of the American news media last Thursday when special prosecutor Kenneth &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Starr unveiled the story of Monica LewinskyMore accurately, it was a series
of intimations that Mr. Starr was investigating claims that there had been a
relationship between Miss Lewinsky and President Clinton that opened the
president to at least a charge of adultery. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 More important, Mr. Starr's case was pinned on the possibility that Miss
Lewinsky- who had earlier denied under oath that there had been a sexual
relationship with the president- could be persuaded to change her testimony.
Significantly, what is purported to be a transcript of a series of secretly
taped conversations in which Miss Lewinsky admitted to such a relationship,
was somehow leaked to Newsweek magazine, and quickly all the media promptly
became instruments in publicizing the claims. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Of course, it wasn't just this leak that had the news media playing the
prosecution's role. Just the possibilities of the original alleged story
touched off a wild abandon by the media that made the worst behavior of the
paparazzi, kindergarten stuff. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 This was especially true of the television. The major networks, their
vaunted anchors and key reporters, wallowed in- nay, drooled, smirked, and
then piously pranced around- more "what if's" and "maybe's" than could be
dreamed up by the most prolific soap opera author. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Not that the print media were bashful. Big headlines suggesting everything
from a recent history of presidential liaisons and conquests to a veritable
harem dominated many pages- leaving one wondering where any recent president
could find the time and energy to complete the exhausting schedule that has
become commonplace for the chief executive. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Other headlines revealed another role of contemporary journalism: a
readiness to serve as a special investigator, prosecutor, judge, and jury- not
only to determine the degree of guilt but to impose the sentence. By Saturday,
most speculation centered on whether he would be impeached or- like Spiro
Agnew and Richard Nixon- coaxed into early retirement, and how soon. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Coverage crowded several other matters of presumably lesser consequence off
the stage: the pope's visit to Cuba and its potential impact on the U.S.
embargo of that country; his potential impact on communism and even on Fidel
Castro's successor, were shoved into the wings. Ditto for U.S. efforts to get
the peace process reactivated in the Middle East. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 When the president held a news conference with Yasser Arafat to discuss
progress of their talks, all the reporters wanted to was to reiterate all the
questions that already had been asked about Miss Lewinsky. As for peace in the
Middle East- ho hum. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Virtually no time was given to the growing political agendas by leaders of
the Congress on how to spend the anticipated budget surplus. Of course, at
that stage, any surplus was about as certain as any of the innuendoes,
speculations, and guesstimates about what would happen to President Clinton-
but which still filled pages of newsprint and consumed two-thirds and more of
the eve ning TV newscasts. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Even the local TV affiliates promptly fell victims of the disease. It
always has been cause for wonderment that the locals will take time at 6
o'clock to report some item that surely will be a major story on the 6:30
network news. Is there no local news? Isn't local news the first mission of
the locals? Have they no confidence that the nationals know as much as they do
about the "big" stories? Why be a network affiliate? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The handling of the Lewinsky story by most (not all) of the local TV
outlets echoed in substance and character the same unrestrained, unquestioning
exhibitionism of their networks. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 This has not been among the more proud periods of American journalism.
Instead in place of the traditional role as "truth seekers," theirs has been
an incessant striving for the sensational. You needed only watch the milling
army of news people that surrounded special prosecutor Kenneth Starr outside
the Department of Justice building or to have listened to the wild storm of
questions from reporters gathered for the regular White House briefing last
Friday, to get a sense of the loss of self-discipline. These were mob scenes. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 What would have been lost by waiting for the judicial process to establish
some coherent facts and conclusions before launching into the kind of conduct
that dominated the news last weekend? To do so would still have left ample
room to cond

Media Forgo The Message For The Clamor In Monica Lewinsky Story 
The Trashing Of America. That Is How Some Of Us Saw The Frenzy That Seized 
Most Of The American News Media Last Thursday When Special Prosecutor Kenneth 
Starr Unveiled The Story Of Monica Lewinsky.

Media Forgo The Message For The Clamor In Monica Lewinsky Story The Trashing Of America. That Is How Some Of Us Saw The Frenzy That Seized Most Of The American News Media Last Thursday When Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr Unveiled The Story Of Monica Lewinsky.