Letters to the Editor

Capital liberalism emphasis of lecture, not free trade

I wish to correct several outright errors — as well as major distortions — that appear in the front-page story titled, "Free trade 'harms' Americans" by Kelly McCormack in the Feb. 12 issue of The Breeze.

Regarding outright errors, professor Robin Hahnel, the speaker, is quoted as citing Angus Maddison that, "Since the 1970s, the gross national product per capita has declined in six of seven regions [of the world]" and that "Maddison also found gross domestic product per capita in those seven regions was cut in half from 1973 to 1992."

Hahnel was referring to the growth rates of per capita GNP and GDP in these regions, not their levels — a very big difference. Most of the people in the world have not seen their incomes plunge to half of what they were 30 years ago.

Regarding distortions, the story makes it appear that the overwhelming emphasis of the lecture was on problems related to free trade. This is what is mentioned in the main headline and in the header inside — "TRADE: Lecture helps students understand economic principles."

Furthermore, problems with free trade are mentioned in each of the first three paragraphs, and in several places later in the story.

In fact, Hahnel spent the majority of his talk criticizing capital liberalization and repeteadly made it clear that he considers this to be the most serious problem with economic globalization.

The phrase "capital liberalization" appears exactly once in the story, in the final paragraph in a quote from a student attending who also mentions "trade liberalization" as if it was a matter of equal concern. There also is a poorly explained reference to the issue earlier in the discussion of former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker's remarks about "unleashing international finance on less able global economies."

However, a later reference seriously is distorted. In discussing China and Japan, the focus is first on how they "did not rely on the traditional comparative advantage of free trade," with a very vague reference then to "strictly managed the financial market," a "$900 billion liquid guerrilla [sic] that sits wherever it wants."

Furthermore, Hahnel spent quite a lot of time emphasizing the problems with Inter Monetary Fund imposed structural adjustment programs, which he also said are a bigger problem than free trade.

However, there was not even a mention of this matter at all in the article.

Finally, Volcker, former chief economist of the World Bank, and Nobel Prize Winner Joseph Stiglitz are cited in the article as seeing "something wrong with neoliberal globalization," which, based on the article, would lead one to believe that these gentlemen oppose free trade.

However, both support free trade — as was noted by Hahnel. It is capital liberalization and — in the case of Stiglitz — the IMF-imposed structural adjustment programs, that they criticize. However, one would never know this from this piece of reporting.

J. Barkley Rosser Jr.
professor of economics

College Newspapers training ground for young journalists

Dear Editor

J. Barkley Rosser Jr.'s letter to The Breeze concerning the story about Professor Robin Hahnel's lecture was written with enmity, scorn and derision. The invective you use to describe a very well-intentioned, bright young woman are not words that enable learning and growth.

Kelly was not writing a scholarly article for a periodical to be read by the world's top Ph.D.s in economics. She approached one of the most difficult assignments known to journalists — one that many seasoned journalists avoid — writing about a highly technical, convoluted subject that takes years — sometimes decades of study — to understand.

You also need to know a little something about journalism. I have spent my career in the field in Washington, D.C., and have hired dozens of journalists.

The entire reason for a college newspaper is that it is a place for people to learn. The only way journalists learn is by getting it wrong. Where better to get it wrong than in a college newspaper — a publication written for a cloistered audience.

When a journalist gets it wrong — and even skilled reporters who have been in the trade 40 years still get it wrong — it makes them acutely more observant, meticulous and cautious in what they report and how they report it. They learn by their mistakes.

Journalism always has been considered to be a "trade." Historically, the profession had seven year long apprenticeship programs. Those are gone.

What has replaced them is the college newspaper. It is where people get trained, and part of an effective training routine is teaching.

Being malicious is not how you teach people. Kelly took the risk inherently associated with journalism and exposed herself — putting herself on the line — and you cut her legs out from under her.

You can aid the learning process by helping students like my daughter by talking to her directly, not through the cover of what could be viewed as being a sycophantic letter to the editor.

You can make college a learning process; it is not a place where you attack a person's character, degrade them and make them cower and become introverts, unwilling to participate in the betterment of our society.

Your petulant attack on her and The Breeze was baneful and abhorrent.

It could have been handled with aplomb and magnanimity. But, it wasn't.

Richard A. McCormack
editor & publisher
Manufacturing & Technology News

The Breeze realizes mistakes occur on road to perfection.

Dear readers,

The Breeze is a campus newspaper that has two purposes. The first is reporting news accurately. The second is to provide future journalists with a forum to gain experience and learn the ropes of reporting and newspaper production.

The letter to the editor from J. Barkley Rosser Jr., professor of economics, concerning the Feb. 12 article titled "Free trade ‘harms' Americans" criticizes the writer for "several outright errors," as well as criticizing her lack of understanding and interpretation of the lecture.

Rosser also criticizes The Breeze for its inaccuracies.

I agree with Rosser that inaccurate reporting presents many problems. As any well-respected newspaper does, The Breeze strives for accuracy. However, realistically, 100 percent accuracy of content and grammar in every issue is rare. I read through a handful of newspapers daily, ranging from the Daily News-Record to The Washington Post.

There are mistakes occasionally. Even The New York Times couldn't prevent inaccuracies in the case of Jason Blair. Any reader must understand The Breeze is no different.

As for the interpretation of some of the issues mentioned in the lecture, readers must realize no one interprets things the same. I have written over 130 stories in my four years at The Breeze.

In addition, I probably have written at least 100 stories for several daily newspapers in Virginia. I can attest that not one of the many stories I have written has started with the same lead or content that another writer covering the same event used in his or her story — that's characteristic of the trade of journalism.

Just as Rosser, any reader has the freedom of speech to criticize an article, a writer or the newspaper.

But I ask that all criticisms come through me first. As editor, I am responsible for all components of the newspaper.

Please address any concerns to breezeeditor@hotmail.com. Thank you for your continuing readership of The Breeze.

Drew Wilson
editor in chief

Letters to the editor should be no more than 500 words and e-mailed to breezeopinion@hotmail.com by noon Tuesday or 5 p.m. Friday.
The Breeze reserves the right to edit for clarity and space.