Crimson Must Cover UC Race Responsibly

To the editors:

Yet again, The Crimson has started off the year's Undergraduate Council presidential race with a one-sided and biased article. Yesterday's news article "Five Tickets Will Seek Highest Council Post" (News, Nov. 27), introducing the start of the presidential campaign, focused the spotlight on one particular candidate without even mentioning a few of the tickets on the front page. Already, the news coverage has designated a front runner, a "man to beat." Yet, the campaign has not even started.

I understand the need to find an angle, and certainly the "heir-apparent" of the current council president provides one. However, that angle would have been better used later on, as a feature, rather than as a news story introducing a new campaign. A full seven paragraphs were devoted to the candidacy of Stephen N. Smith '02--his name is mentioned eight times--while Paul A. Gusmarino '02, the founder of "UC Books" (the council's biggest accomplishment in some time), has to wait until page A-5 to see his name in print, and then it's only mentioned twice.

Instead of hailing one candidate as the "man to beat," The Crimson, with responsibility as the only daily paper on campus, should have taken the time to fully introduce all of the candidates. I sincerely hope that all of the candidates are given the fair coverage that they deserve in the future.

Rachel L. Brown '01

Nov. 27, 2000

The writer is a member of the Undergraduate Council.