The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks, The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."

College Republicans portrayed inaccurately

Anyone who has picked up a DAILY EGYPTIAN in the past week has most likely stumbled across letters to the editor peppered with my name and fueled with personal attacks. These letters were mostly in response to the front-page article about the SIU College Republicans and our bus trip to St. Louis for the presidential debate ["Grand Ole Party in St. Louis," Oct. 12].

That day and the following, my e-mail box was overflowing with messages from many of the 54 members on the bus that made the tip to St. Louis. A unanimous voice from the conservative e-mail choir reaffirmed my belief that the DAILY EGYPTIAN portrayed the event and the College Republicans in an inaccurate and disappointing light. The context of our quotes was skewed.

Here's a paragraph from the story: "'I feel really dirty right now," said Jason Jording, a third-year law student from Eureka, Ill. Pretending to support Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry is not Jording's idea of fun on a Friday night. In fact, it's humiliating."

This past weekend, I was approached by Jording who made it very clear that his quotes were taken completely out of context. He elaborated that when he said that he was feeling dirty and humiliated, he actually meant he felt dirty and humiliated to pretend to be a Kerry supporter [EDITOR'S NOTE: Jording confirmed the accuracy of Teresi's statements].

Clearly, quotes will be misconstrued when they are only in the form of a sound bite. He was quite content to take the stance that he did with the rest of the group. However, the article led readers to believe differently.

This was proven by a letter from David Torrence who seemed to believe Jording was opposed to the group's activism. Mr. Torrence's advice to Jording becomes completely nullified when Jording's sound bite becomes a quote taken in the correct context.

The attacks continued when Bryan McLeod stated that he believed that I did not have class because I did not allow members of the College Democrats to come aboard. McLeod, a member of the College Democrats, failed to mention the bus trip was provided by the Republican Party. To its credit, the DAILY EGYPTIAN reported this fact in the story.

I am confident the GOP did not provide the College Republicans with a bus so that we could invite members of the different political groups on campus aboard. It is not a matter of class, Mr. McLeod. It is a matter of a conflict of interest.

Our march out of the America's Center was made out to be the pinnacle and purpose of our trip, but it was not. We went to St. Louis to support the president in a rally and cheer on his motorcade. Our minute-long venture out of the America's Center will certainly be remembered second rate compared to seeing and cheering on President Bush as he passed by on the way to the debate. We conducted ourselves in a civil manner. We did not get in anyone's way, use vulgarities, or break any laws. We are only guilty of exercising our right of freedom of speech.

While the College Republicans have taken great memories from this trip, the reporting has added a slant so that others will remember us differently. I am utterly disappointed in the reporting from the DAILY EGYPTIAN during this event.

John Teresi,
president, SIU College Republicans

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