<< Subj: RE:Bogus Headlines
<<Date: 96-12-09 11:52:12 EST
<<From: JOltmann@FANCYPUBS.COM
<<Resent-from: ridecamp@endurance.net
<<To: ridecamp@endurance.net
<<I found Linda Eisele's comment about the headline "Horse Dies--Cash
<<Prizes Awarded" both off-color and inapropriate. As a professional
<<journalist and an editor of a national equestrian magazine, I was also
<<offended by this "planted" comment. We are talking about one race, which
<<I intend to cover as a single, progressive event in endurance riding,
<<not as the changing face of distance racing. How could a horse die at an
<<event that hasn't occured yet? I don't see a significance difference
<<between the cash prizes being awarded for this race and the cash prizes
<<that have been awarded to IAHA regional and national champions for
<<YEARS.
<<And I don't know where you come up with this notion that horses will die
<<because there is money at the finish line. Don't you have any confidence
<<in our vets and our governing organization? The horses we lose in our
<<sport (are few) and I can not think of a single one that was a casualty
<<because the rider was racing for something.Yet I could give you a list
<<of other reasons.
<<I subscribe to ridecamp as a source of supplemental information for my
<<job and my interest in this sport. It is my job to write headlines, not
<<yours. Please leave this work to the objective professionals. Your
<<headline was intended to promote bias, and the field of journalism,
<<especially newspaper reporting, there are strict ethical guidelines
<<against that.
<<And as for the comment about TV sports being for wanna-be males -- I
<<think Michelle Gibson would be as offended by the comment as I have
<<been.
<<Jennifer Oltmann
JENNIFER:
This is an open forum. I, for one, am eternally gratefully to have this
discussion medium. Many different ideas lead to many new thoughts and
changed minds or supported theories.
For your comments:
Linda Eisley's "Horse Dies..Cash Awarded" can be quite real. NO, evidently
we do NOT trust in our "system" Vets included. I have seen quite a bit in
20 years in this sport..not all of it improvement for the better. Linda's
statement is HER opinion and that of many others, it is not "planted" or
"biased". As this and other organizations grow the "peter principle" comes
into play...the further you are away from being what you write about the more
subjective you become. I have ridden and seen rides in a good many parts of
this country and seen bad and good everywhere. If, indeed, you are using
"ridecamp" as a source of material and by posting here, we are all putting
our words into "public domain", by all means be unbiased and present the
approximate 80/20 vote AGAINST money in our sport in your next headline.
Secondly: We are NOT slamming this ride or it's management. This has been a
commentary on the general direction of this sport and where it might go if
rides LIKE this continue and GROW to inhabit the MAJORITY of our rides.
Don't tell me there has been no negative effect of IAHA Sweepstakes. You
haven't seen enough if you can make that statement. AND, the horses that
died after WEG were not ridden by people out for money.
Thirdly: Many a journalist is NOT objective. Don't be so sure that because
you have training that you are the only one who can see the writing on the
wall. I have seen PLENTY of "unprofessionsl" journalism to make me distrust
the profession equally with any other. If ethical guidelines are set for
journalism, they are certainly NOT used uniformly. Let each man be judged by
his peers on his own merits, if indeed anyone has that right at all.
Lastly: Man's ability to reason is his best judge of anything. We all have
that right, If you don't like hearing it here, don't read it or go somewhere
else. I may not agree with all that is posted here, but I DO respect the
right of EVERYONE to voice their own opinion. I have learned from this and I
am sure many are thinking very hard. Our voices may not change anything, but
the fact that we can and are stating our opinions is indicative of our
Constitutional rights.
Teddy
PS: I recently received a phone call regarding this particular race and the
person inferred that without money (i.e. this race) in our sport, AERC is
going to die and my business along with it. Talk about BIAS and THREATS!!!
As I have told MANY of my friends and customers, I am in this business so I
can stay in this sport, not the other way around. I genuinely LOVE our sport
and the majority of the people in it. Rest assured, this sport will go
on...money or no money, AERC or no AERC and I will stay in business because I
LOVE it and I treat my customers with the respect and service I expect.
PPS: Mr. Ingram's post will certainly stir up a lot of comment. I, for one,
feel it is unworthy of response at this time. His comments are unfounded and
non-objective. This is ONE example of unprofessional journalism. He also does
not seem to recognize the basic tenet of "freedom of speech and thought". I
don't believe that anyone posting to this subject is slamming
anyone...unless, of course, opinions and open discussion are considered
slander.