Who gets to define groups' identities?

By: JIM TRAGESER - Staff Writer | Wednesday, September 21, 2005 8:33 PM PDT ∞

An open letter to the editors of the North County Times:

This is an admittedly unusual approach to speaking with you all; the editors at this paper are unfailingly approachable ---- and only steps from my desk. But it seems to me that the topics on the table today are ones our readers ought to be able to listen in on. Participate in, even.

If we in the media (including this paper's editorial page) are going to demand more and more openness of our government officials while at the same time demanding shield laws to allow us to withhold information from court cases, then we better have an alternative plan for maintaining the public's trust in our own work. Being as transparent in our daily business as possible except in unusual circumstances would seem the best way of countering public fears of more secrecy in the media. Continuing the discussion started below in a public manner ---- both on this page and in the NCTimes.com forums (http://nctimes.com/shared-content/phpBB/, then click on Editor's Discussion) ---- strikes me as one way of doing just that.

And so to the topic at hand: Why did this newspaper refer in our Sunday edition to protesters who broke up a lawful gathering of would-be border watchers on Saturday as "human rights activists"? On Aug. 26, in a follow-up article about state Sen. Bill Morrow's Aug. 11 anti-illegal immigration event in Carlsbad, we referred to the protesters at that event as "human rights advocates."

These were not editorials or opinion pieces, but news stories. Given that the phrase "human rights" is one loaded with emotional and moral weight, it seems to me risky at best to assign one group in a political debate the prized designation of defender of human rights. There is simply no way to do so without also implying that the other side is opposed to human rights ---- something I think the folks who are working to stem illegal immigration would dispute. Surely there are more neutral, fairer ways of describing the two sides, as in another story about the Morrow rally (from Aug. 18) in which we described those opposed to Morrow's event as "pro-immigration protesters."

The Rev. Madison Shockley of Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Carlsbad wrote in a Sept. 1 commentary defending free speech that if his church held a seminar on gay marriage, protesters would be sure to show up. Would this paper describe those protesters as "human rights activists" too? Opponents of same-sex marriage are just as sincere as immigrant-rights supporters in their belief that they are defending human rights. Are we going to pick and choose whom we let define themselves and whom we define?

We in the media ---- and particularly local media, such as the North County Times ---- need to ensure we are being fair and even-handed in our coverage of emotional issues. And the issue of what to do about people who cross our borders in violation of the law is one such issue.

I'm looking forward to hearing the senior editors' views on the above questions.

Contact staff writer Jim Trageser at (760) 740-5424 or jtrageser@nctimes.com.

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