Photo lacked decency paper should uphold

First, let me thank you for the opportunity to express my concerns

as a member of the community. I have always enjoyed the manner in

which the Daily Pilot has kept the entire community informed and

aware of the accomplishments of its youth and activities of all its

members. Your personal touch and sensitive reporting has allowed all

of us to have an outlet to be heard and seen, for that on behalf of

all of us, I thank you.

My letter, however, isn’t just about the praises of your

contributions to the community, but unfortunately, a photo that was

used to represent the laurels of a local bar, Billy’s at the Beach.

It appeared on Thursday. The photo used was of a gentleman smiling

while moving a glass that displayed a bare-breasted woman on the

front of it.

Now, I understand that not all of us share the same community

values and morals; however there are universal principles of ethics

that, as a community, we should all adhere.

With a high percentage of families with children under the age of

18, all of us must share in the responsibility of setting the best

example of decency. The photograph (of the bare-breasted woman) does

little to encourage this kind of community responsibility, and

demonstrates (in my opinion) very little journalistic accountability.

If we lower the standard on such an apparent minor incident as this,

then ask yourselves, what next?

If we don’t attend to the little offenses, and raise our voices in

protest and/or support, then we lay the groundwork for even larger

ones to fester. My mother often said, “Don’t make a mountain out of a

mole-hill,” but I say, don’t allow the mole hill to become a

mountain, deal with it now, both swiftly and resolutely.

The question I’d like to ask all of us (journalists included) is:

“What mole hill are you willing to see become a mountain?” I for one

am not willing to see our local papers flirt with soft pornography.

Call it puritanical, fundamental or conservative ideology;

whatever you call it, it protects us from the kind of unbridled

sexual mania that has led many down the path of Internet porn and

sexual addictions.

Let’s educate our children not to stimulate their hormones,

motivate them to learn not to “burn” in the heat of their passions.

We can win the battle over the minds and hearts of our posterity if

we are willing to fight them, and choose them, no matter how small or

great the battle seems.

I wish to thank the editors and staff of the Daily Pilot who

demonstrated an openness to my protest of the photo and allowed me an

outlet to express my thoughts to the community.

Now let’s all do better for the good of all of us going forward,

and let’s not have any more bare-breasted photos in our respectable

and purposeful community paper. Thank you.

STEVE GOODEN

Costa Mesa