One-Sided View Not Wanted

By Hugh Rennie

In common with most New Zealand newspapers, this paper receives releases from the United States Information Service.

One specially prepared for student newspapers is "Campus Opinion—a roundup of letters and editorials from United States college newspapers."

This service, it might be expected, would be a sampling of representative student opinion on topical issues.

The latest series to reach us includes a four-page feature which begins:

"College students across the United States lake very definite and varied views on their country's commitment to action in Vietnam. Letters-to-the-editor columns in their campus newspapers are filled with their comments. Here are some of them:"

There then follows six letters from five different student newspapers.

Every one of these letters explicitly endorses the United States action in Vietnam.

The nearest any of the letters comes to disagreement is to admit that "I do not believe that all who disagree with me are immoral, cowardly, traitors."

But other letters call those who disagree "the fanatic few," "blind and unreasoning radicals," and accuse them of being draft dodgers using "dishonest methods."

We at Salient long ago became cynical from reading this son of mail. We are not so naive as to believe that this represents a "roundup" of campus opinion at all.

This should not be interpreted as an anti-American attitude. We have a deep respect for the American nation and what it stands for.

But one thing you won't find in Salient is USIS political "opinion round-ups."