THE CADRE, APRIL 18 page 4 3: ;, 
     
    
   
   
    
     THE “GUARDIAN” GUARDS Mablbcmfi?[,1  a   “ 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     STAN DALTON in collaboration with SINBAD FANYASTZ 
     
     a . Small minds discusspeople: Average minds discuss, Events: Great mi 
     
    
   
   
    
     One of most important elem- 
     
     ents in any society, regard- 
     
     less of its structure, is 
     
     the various forms of media“ 
     
     newspaper, radio, television, 
     
     etc. For any society to main- 
     
     tain itself it must keep its 
     
     members aware and educated, 
     
     especially in twenitieth 
     
     century society, where edu— 
     
     cation is the key to harm- 
     
     onious co—existence with 
     
     other peoples. 
     
    

    
     Although it is important 
     
     that a newspaper keep its 
     
     readers informed of contem— 
     
     porary events, it's most ‘ 
     
     important function is to 
     
     serve as a medium for the 
     
     expression of its readers 
     
     views on the most important 
     
     issues confronting contem- 
     
     porary man: some of which' 
     
     will be transitory (i.e. 
     
     issues peculiar to a cert- 
     
     ain era), others will be 
     
     perpetual by virtue of the 
     
     quest for human understand— 
     
     ing which entails, truth, 
     
     life, religion, justice, 
     
     etc. Any newspaper of qual— 
     
     ity will address itself to 
     
     these more important per— 
     
     ennial problems 
     
     Some points I consider 
     
     essential for a qualitat— 
     
     ive newspaper are: 
     
    

    
     1) its only criterian is 
     
     TRUTH. 
     
    

    
     »;2) Perennial HUMAN PROBLEMS 
     
     are foremost 
     
    

    
     3) it challenges its readers 
     
     and, in turn, is open to 
     
     their challenge, to set the 
     
     ground for solid dialogue. 
     
     4) its concerns transcends 
     
     its particular social milieu 
     
     and seriously challenges the 
     
    

    
     Views of OTHER PEOPLES 
     
     whether near or far. 
     
    

    
     5) it does not "let go" 
     
    

    
     of an issue until ans- 
     
     wers are got - one way or 
     
     the other. 
     
    

    
     6) It DOES NOT shy away 
     
     from POLITICS RELIGION, EC_- 
     
     ONOMICS, or any social issue 
     
     of importance to anyone. 
     
     These are but a few import- 
     
     ant characteristics of any 
     
     qualitative apaer. 
     
    

    
     In consideration of what‘has 
     
     been_thus far said, I would 
     
     now like to concern myself 
     
     with the central concern of 
     
     this article: our own local 
     
     newspaper- the "Guardian". 
     
    

    
     I am both appalled and dis- 
     
     gusted by this cheap excuse 
     
     for journalism. It consist- 
     
     antly lets me down when I 
     
     seek within its pages any 
     
     semblance of concern and 
     
     committment for some of our 
     
     most pressing problems. 
     
    

    
     Before I continue I would 
     
     like to draw attention to 
     
     an interesting article 
     
     (Guardian -CRITICAL ESSAY 
     
     by a UPEI student. This 
     
     article, critizes the "Guard- 
     
     ian" on many points. Not 
     
     only does he point out the 
     
    
   
   
    
     many and obvious typograph- 
     
     ical errors the "Guardian" 
     
     is notorious for,.but he 
     
     makes some very interesting 
     
     observations about its qual— 
     
     ity as a whole. I shall list 
     
     some of these and offer 
     
     further comment. \ 
     
    

    
     "The Guardian is a survivor 
     
     of the papers whose raison 
     
     d'etre was to be the mouth- 
     
     piece of alcohol abstinence 
     
     devotees. HOwever, today's' 
     
     Guardian no longer is a 
     
     staunch anti—alcohol camp— 
     
     aigner. IT CAN PERHAPS BEST 
     
     BE DESCRIBED AS A MIDDLE-OF- 
     
     ROAD NEWSPAPER, UNCOMMITTED 
     
     TO ANY OTHER CAUSE OTHER 
     
     THAN THE WELL-BEING OF P.E.I. 
     
     (Page 1, para 4) (italics 
     
     mine). M 
     
    

    
     The italicized sentence 
     
     might rather be considered 
     
     as saying that the "Guardian" 
     
     is mediocre. As a mediocre 
     
     paper (and that it most cert- 
     
     ainly is) it is not commflned 
     
     to anything except staying 
     
     alive by not getting involv- 
     
     ed with "touchy" issues which 
     
     may have a detrimental eff- 
     
     ect on its economic stature. 
     
    

    
     Furthermore, a mediocre 
     
     paper, cannot be committed 
     
     to the well-being of the 
     
     Island by vitrue of its 
     
     mediocrity. If it were in 
     
     fact committed to our 
     
    
   
   
    
     rwell-being, it would take 
     
    
   
   
    
     issue with those concerns 
     
    

    
     of Islanders, namely: pol- 
     
     itics, religion, economics, 
     
     etc. However, consider the 
     
     next paragraph. 
     
    

    
     "The Guardian is by no means 
     
     a first-rate paper as is say 
     
     the New Ybrk Times or Tor— 
     
     onto's Globe and Mail.BUT 
     
    
   
   
    
     IF THE PRESS Is NOT 
     
     A GADFLY; 
     
     THEN IT’S A TYRANT! 
     
    
   
   
    
     WHEN A PEoPLE 
     
     CEASE TO THINK. 
     
    
   
   
    
     ALL PRINCIPLES VANISH 
     
    
   
   
    
     IT REALLY HAS NO NEED TO BE, 
     
     BECAUSE FIRST-RATE NEWS RE- 
     
     PORTING IS NOT WHAT IS DEM- 
     
     ANDED OF IT BY THE COMMUN- 
     
     ITY" (italics mine — page 
     
    

    
     1, para. 5) ' 
     
    

    
     This does not exoneratthhe 
     
     "Guardian" however: whether 
     
     or not the people Want a 
     
     mediocre paper is not suff— 
     
     icient reason for acquies~ 
     
     cence - unless, of course, 
     
     those who operate the paper 
     
     are themselves mediocre. ' 
     
    

    
     It is obvious, the people 
     
     of P.E.I. do not want to 
     
     assume their freedom, res- 
     
     ponsibility, and capacity 
     
     for making decisions which 
     
     the conscientious operation 
     
     of a paper would entail; 
     
     They, like most people, want 
     
     to run away from themselves: 
     
     and the "Guardian" does, 
     
     nothing to alter this. It‘ 
     
     would have a very significant 
     
     effect if it would challenge 
     
     its readers rather than just 
     
     reflect their mediocrity. 
     
     "THE GUARDIAN FALLS SHORT IN 
     
     THE FULFILLING OF ITS REST 
     
     PONSIBILITY WHICH IS FIRST 
     
     OF ALL TO TEACH." (italics 
     
     Mm.m%2,mmA) 
     
     .Extensive comment is not re— 
     
     quired on this point-it is 
     
     obvious to anyone who reads 
     
     the "Guardian". 
     
    
   
   
    
     The editorials themselVes 
     
     are rather poor. The more 
     
     thoughtful or more influ- 
     
     ential members of the news- 
     
     paper's reading communitqu 
     
     are rarely stimulated by an 
     
     original Guardian editorial. 
     
     MANY COMMENTS ON THE EDIT- 
     
     ORIAL PAGE ARE OBVIOUSLY