Speaks Out

Monday, September 28, 1998

Speaks Out

Speaks Out

Kenneth Starr’s investigation of President Bill Clinton
continues to dominate headlines. With the publication of Starr’s
report, the question of media responsibility arises. Does media
coverage on the investigation of President Clinton reflect the
public’s interest in the issue?

"I definitely think that the coverage reflects the public’s
interest. I think that every president or any political person
actually has some kind of involvement in issues like the Monica
Lewinsky scandal, but it’s never really been surfaced to the
public. I really do think that it’s a media scandal created by
people because that’s what people want to hear. The media feeds off
the frenzy of the public, and whatever the public wants to hear,
the media’s going to present it to them."

Guelsy Gomez

Fourth-Year

Sociology

"I think in this situation, it’s a double-edged sword. I think
the public wants to know, but mostly because the media keeps it in
the forefront. I don’t think this is newsworthy stuff ­ if you
look at the president’s ratings, they’re still high, which just
shows that many people don’t really care. Though there is the whole
perjury issue, I think most people feel that we should just leave
Clinton’s personal life alone. I think the media likes to
over-sensationalize."

Robert Seelenbacher

Alumnus

Architecture

"I think the media needs to stay out of Clinton’s life. That’s
his private business. I think they should be more concerned with
issues that he’s dealing with now and let him do his job. Everybody
makes mistakes, everybody’s human, and he confronted the people
about it. I think the media is giving people what they want, but
it’s not necessarily right ­ it’s like Jerry Springer."

Alana Ayuyao

Fifth-Year,

Psychobiology

"I think it does show the interest of what the public wants to
know, but I don’t think that the media coverage is right. It was
interesting, it was fun to watch, but it was pretty sad that that
was what the whole country had to focus on when there’s so much
more to focus on. The media just gives us what the public is
interested in, and that’s just scandals. They’d rather just show us
a Melrose Place-type of thing, and it’s sad to say that’s what the
public ends up liking."

Neil Patel

Graduate

Psychology