Columnist's Demeanor Hides Force

I can finally say George W. Bush and President in the same breath without feeling the urge to giggle. Things were getting pretty scary for awhile, but Bush actually won me over with his stem cell speech a couple of weeks ago.

But perhaps even more surprising than my newfound respect for Bush is the fact that I am back for another year at The Daily Tar Heel.

To be perfectly honest, my return to the DTH this year is a shock. After the infamous David Horowitz saga last March, I had fully intended to quit the paper.

A strong opponent of slave reparations for blacks, Horowitz sent college campuses ablaze with a full-page ad in college newspapers across the nation entitled "Ten Reasons Why Slave Reparations Are a Bad Idea -- And Racist Too."

The DTH did not print the ad but instead ran Horowitz's ideas as a column. Hoping to reach some sort of balance, the paper also included columns by other campus leaders who offered their views of the situation. But in my opinion the damage was done.

It's not that Horowitz didn't have a right to voice his opinions. Freedom of speech and of the press is a privilege I will work hard to protect for the rest of my life. But I feel that this paper did a poor job of acknowledging the other side of the issue, and I didn't feel comfortable defending its actions.

Why didn't it seek out the opinion of Randall Robinson, one of the leaders of the fight for reparations? That way, the debate would have been a lot stronger and a lot more fair.

And why is it that we never got a chance to find out about the man behind the column? Just who is David Horowitz, and why was he able to create such a stir on campuses last spring? It's not enough to simply print the facts of a story and hope they will speak for themselves.

As a newspaper, we have to look beyond the flak and get to the real meat of the issues. We must question the man (or woman) behind the scenes. Talk to that politician whose name doesn't appear often in the newspaper. Sure, you might hit a dry wall, but sometimes you could find a gold mine. Either way, you have to be willing to ask.

And that is why I'm back for another year.

After working at the DTH freshman year and spending 10 weeks at The News & Observer this summer, I have learned two important things that I will use to guide my column this year:

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And if every word you hear from a source's mouth sounds scripted, that source is either really good at dealing with the media or is feeding you a bunch of crap.

My column will go beyond the superficial and aim for the truth.

What is the real reason behind the budget stalemate in the N.C. General Assembly? What impact will eliminating the SAT in college admissions really have on universities? Why is it that male politicians always seem to have affairs with brunette interns?

Seriously though, I think you know what I'm getting at. I hope this column will help the DTH take its news coverage to a different level. The rest of our state is changing, so it's only fair that we do the same.

Last year's State & National columnist, Anne Fawcett, paved the way for me with her incredible analysis of the issues affecting our state and nation.

I have some tough shoes to fill, but I'm ready for it. While I cannot promise that I won't offend someone along the way, I hope to give you a different perspective on the oftentimes controversial issues which face our society.

If one year from now, you can say that you look at politics in a different light, then I've done my job.

So what makes me think I can do all of this? It's simple. I don't take crap. I know when someone's lying and when they're honestly telling the truth.

And don't think for a second that I won't call you on it. Someone once told me that it's always the quiet ones who can cause the most trouble. I hate to admit it, but they were right. Beneath this quiet exterior lies a force this world has never seen, ready to pounce on people who dare to call themselves public officials.

So watch out. Things are about to get interesting.

Columnist April Bethea can be reached at adbethea@email.unc.edu.