A WTF Headline: "Students protest war; others back U.S. military"

[sabra]

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/5303954p-4808968c.html

Students protest war; others back U.S. military

PAUL SAND; The News Tribune

Teens and young adults chanted and waved signs Wednesday outside the offices of several military recruiters on Tacoma’s South Pine Street, and their message was clear: We want our voice heard and we don’t want military recruiters in our schools.
“The youth are against the war. The youth are against the recruiting. The youth are against the (Bush) administration,” said 16-year-old Clara Lightner, who organized the student-led protest.

The Foss High School junior and about 60 to 70 other people, mostly students, made up the Tacoma demonstration. It was part of a national protest and school walkout staged by Youth Against War and Racism, an anti-war organization that is against military recruiter access to schools.

...

The counterprotesters, many of who were middle-aged adults, chanted: “Recess is over!” One held a sign that proclaimed: “End Leftist Occupation of America.” Another placard said: “We support our troops and their mission.”

In unison, the protesters yelled, “Hell no, we won’t go. We won’t kill for Texaco!”



Foss High School student Clara Lightner, 16, leads a group of protesters Wednesday in a chant denouncing military recruitment in schools and the war in Iraq. The protest was outside a military recruiting center near Tacoma Mall.

[ret5hd]

1. Clara Lightner (et al) is brave...

wish i'd have been as involved and "out in front" at her age.

[sabra]

2. Indeed. Yet it still discouraging that she is being labeled as

one who doesn't support the troops. :-(

[Teaser]

3. "All opinions are true..."

So we'll report all of them.

[Puglover]

4. Yup we had around 1500 HS and College students

protesting in Minneapolis yesterday. A lot of the HS people walked out of school.

[lectrobyte]

5. WTF indeed. Anti-war does not mean anti-military.

[sabra]

8. Wanting the troops to come home safe is being very supportive

but those freeper bullies countering @ the school just don't get it.

[aden_nak]

6. "The counter-protesters, all of whom were over drafting age. . . "

[raccoon]

11. I almost put something about them in my email to the author,

but decided it was off-topic.

THe article said they were middle-aged. If their sons and daughters were drafted to fight in Iraq, they'd be singing a different tune.

[raccoon]

7. My email to the author of the article.

Mr. Sand:

The title of your article in today's Tribune, "Students protest war; others back U.S. military " is very obviously biased against the protesters.

Nowhere in the article was it indicated that the student protesters were against the U.S. military. They were against recruiters being on campus.

Your title was misleading and unfair.

Sincerely,

XXXXXX XXXXXX

[Oeditpus Rex]

13. Right message, wrong target

Reporters don't write heds. Copy editors do.

[raccoon]

16. Thanks for telling me. Next time, I'll say,

"Tell your copy editor that......"

[Oeditpus Rex]

17. That wouldn't work either

Except at the smallest newspapers, a reporter likely has no idea which copy editor wrote what hed — or even which ones edited the reporter's own story, unless he or she checks the audit trail.

If you want to complain about a headline or caption, the most direct way would be to go to the contact list at the paper's web site and send your complaint to the copy desk chief. (This could be the news editor at many papers.) If no such positions are listed, contact the city (or metro) editor, or wire editor if it's a wire story.

(BTW — The wire services put suggested heds on many stories. Newspapers are not obliged to use these, nor are they obliged to leave any part of a wire story out of the editing process. So if you read something you don't like in an AP story, it might be the newspaper's fault, not AP's.)

[brainshrub]

9. The only pro-military people were the peace activists.

The pro-war faction wants to kill soldiers, they do not support the troops.

Check out this satire article to understand the messed-up logic of the right-wing:

Support Our Troops by getting them killed.

While such measures today would show the troops that we do indeed feel the Iraqi War is worth fighting, and dieing, for; I have a better idea: The best way to "Support the Troops" is to keep them in Iraq so they can get killed.

Yes, by getting killed in Iraq, our brave men-in-uniform will enjoy a flag-draped coffin, a military funeral, and a name lovingly etched on a wall somewhere so their friends and loved ones can gaze upon it. By sending more troops to die, we honor those who have already fallen.

The logic of supporting our troops by killing them is lost on the Liberal mind. They don't understand that by demanding that US soldiers return home safely, and in one piece, they are denying the highest honor we can bestow: A tri-folded flag, to be handed post-humanously to a grieving relative.

[readmoreoften]

10. What a DARING headline...

"Some teens are on one side of the fence, many are on the other."

[Oeditpus Rex]

12. '...16-year-old Clara Lightner,

who organized the student-led protest."

Sixteen!

Sometimes I'm so proud of our yoots I could just... :cry:

Looks a wee scosh like a young Janeane, too.

Gotta wonder if she's related to Candy Lightner.

[nickgutierrez]

14. I think the author of this article should hear from us.

[email protected]

Opposing the war IS supporting the troops and the military. Let him know.

[Oeditpus Rex]

20. Not the reporter; read my posts above

Contact this guy (Christ, they have "team leaders"):

Jim Kresse
Editing Team Leader 253-597-8443
[email protected]

[IChing]

15. Hell no, we won't go and kill for texaco....great line.

About two dozen pro-war supporters...mmm..really?

[Oeditpus Rex]

18. I posted the hed at a copy editors' site

We'll see what the pros have to say about it.

[sabra]

19. sweet, keep us posted.

peace.

[Oeditpus Rex]

21. Follow it on your own, if you want

Already, two say it's misleading.

http://www.testycopyeditors.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5652

[sabra]

22. even better, thanks again.

[BrotherBuzz]

23. I read this headline many times over thirty-five years ago....

I wonder what side of the fence the copy editor stood on back then?

For what it's worth, we don't read enough about student involvement in the war debate. I guess the lack of the draft makes it easy for kids to close their eyes and pretend the war doesn't exist.

I'm happy to see sixteen year old Clara Lightner taking a position. I suspect she may be one of our future leaders and deserveds a huge HUZZAH!