After The Post published a recent letter to the editor and received backlash, one former university student gives his thoughts on the situation.
I was in Athens with a friend last week. We both graduated from OU in 1973. I'm telling you this to document my ties to the university.
I was struck by a few things after reading The Post for a few days. First, I was surprised at the inability of the gay community to entertain any viewpoint that was different from its own. Take, for instance, the viewpoint of Mr. Lela. The editorial staff ultimately caved in to protests from the homosexuals by stating that they should not have printed the letter from Mr. Lela, not because of anything he wrote, but because he had no ties to your audience. I suppose if you're looking for a reason to mollify the gay community, that excuse is as good as any.
You should show a little backbone. Your conclusion that you should have asked, "Why?" might be important for a news story but not for a Letter to the Editor. There is no reason to explore the motivation behind Mr. Lela's opinion. An opinion is just that.
I was also surprised at the preponderance of space devoted to all things gay. According to the 2010 Census, 1.8 percent of the population identifies as gay. About 3.8 percent identify as anything other than heterosexual. If you're interested in peoples' motivations, perhaps you should examine the motivations of the Editorial Board. The constant focus on the carnal seems sophomoric.
A person is not defined by how he chooses to fornicate. He is defined by his accomplishments. There are important things happening at OU in scientific research, the arts and medicine. There are also important political issues which address the lives of 100 percent of the population. Your constant drumbeat on homosexual issues seems disproportionate.
Your job as journalists is not to ask, "Why?" Your job as journalists is to convey the unbiased truth. The truth is composed of both sides of the story presented in a balanced fashion. If a piece contains an opinion it should be clearly identified as an Editorial.
Lies can be told by misrepresenting the facts or by ignoring important facts. The Post's obsession with gay issues ignores the thoughts and lives of the other 96.2 percent of the population, and in doing so conveys a false picture of our society as a whole.
Gary Golinski is an alumnus of Ohio University.
