Letter to the editor
Moore’s letter ignorant of facts about journalism, reporting

This is in response to Linda Moore’s letter in Thursday’s Skiff about the coverage of the dismissals of two basketball players. Her arguments as to why the Skiff should not pry into matters of the athletic department are unfounded and ignorant.

First, Moore questions how Skiff reporters can write an article about people they don’t know. What does that have to do with anything? If this were true, then there wouldn’t be stories about President Bush (I don’t think any of us really know him) or feature stories about an athlete who overcame some disability to succeed. Her argument that sources think they know what is going on but are wrong is also very weak. This is what reporting is, sifting through the lies and finding the truth. In such a sensitive matter, I highly doubt the Skiff, much less the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, would print what they did if the accusations of drug use were just rumors.

It is true that Greedy Daniels and Myron Anthony did not make or break the team. But Daniels is a leader on and off the court, and if he or any player gets dismissed from the team, then it is news. These players are given full scholarships to play basketball and represent TCU. If they are using drugs, then it is news.

I don’t blame Billy Tubbs for not talking about it either. He doesn’t want that kind of attention for himself and his team. But, it is news and the Skiff’s reporters had a job to do.

Any credibility Moore had, however, was completely lost in the last paragraph, “If you had a life of your own, then you wouldn’t have to snoop around in other people’s business.” Rather than open our eyes to faulty reporting, her comments prove why reporters have to write to the lowest common denominator. The Skiff was accurate and fair in its reporting. If only other people could practice the same.

— Matt Welnack
senior news-editorial
journalism major

Editorial policy: The content of the Opinion page does not necessarily represent the views of Texas Christian University. Unsigned editorials represent the view of the TCU Daily Skiff editorial board. Signed letters, columns and cartoons represent the opinion of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board.

Letters to the editor: The Skiff welcomes letters to the editor for publication. Letters must be typed, double-spaced, signed and limited to 250 words. To submit a letter, bring it to the Skiff, Moudy 291S; mail it to TCU Box 298050; e-mail it to skiffletters@tcu.edu or fax it to 257-7133. Letters must include the author’s classification, major and phone number. The Skiff reserves the right to edit or reject letters for style, taste and size restrictions.