THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 17, 1995 TAG: 9509160012
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: LYNN FEIGENBAUM
LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
Six segments of a death-row inmate's journal have run so far, most on A1. Invariably, the phone rings with a similar message:
Why are you glorifying a convicted killer? You're just trying to get our sympathy. Why not run a story about the victim?
For some callers, it's enough just to see the column sig, ``Under sentence of death: Journal of a condemned man,'' with the photo of Dennis Stockton in his orange prison garb.
But even a few callers who are reading Stockton's first-person accounts of life in Mecklenburg and Greensville correctional centers have raised questions.
``I find them fascinating,'' said B-Cat Graham of Norfolk, who hasn't missed an installment. ``But it offends me that you would give a convicted murderer a forum like this'' without, he added, giving an equal forum to a victim's family.
Editor Bill Burke, who has been coordinating the series, said he knew from the start it would be controversial. But he sees it as an ``unusual, perhaps unprecedented, opportunity to gain insight into the process of execution'' and into an individual confronting this fate.
(As of Friday, Stockton had a temporary stay from his Sept. 27 execution date.)
Burke worked closely with Stockton 11 years earlier in another series of death-row reports. And he points out that Stockton has the unique ability to write about his experiences and environs in a detached, non-judgmental manner.
Since the series began, Stockton has gotten supportive and encouraging mail from readers.
But the message, Burke said, is not sympathy or antagonism, guilt or innocence. It is a window into a world that, hopefully, none of us will know first-hand.
``If you read these stories,'' said Burke, ``the lesson you take away is, `This is a situation I don't want to be in.' I think he's captured the horror of it.''
I agree. The presence of the diary on the front page may be uncomfortable, even to me sometimes. But I think Dennis Stockton, death-row inmate, is leaving a unique legacy, a harsh lesson, for future generations.
LURID SEXCERPTS. At least three callers gave their seal of disapproval to the Sept. 8 lead story on Sen. Bob Packwood's resignation.
They objected to the large-type excerpts - or maybe we should call them sexcerpts - from the Oregon Republican's ``lurid'' diary.
Our callers all said they didn't want children to read such explicit language. ``Why didn't you put a big story about Cal Ripken out there?'' suggested one man. ``That was positive and wholesome.''
Positive and wholesome is definitely what readers prefer.
HERE & THERE. And now, a brief synposis of recent gripes and groans from readers:
Not a hoot. A People column caption Thursday showing the musical group Hootie and the Blowfish at ``the Uneversity of south Carolina.''
Nothing fishy. Bob Hutchinson's fishing column missing from Monday's Sports pages. (No space - it ran Tuesday.)
Checkmated. No coverage (until Game 3) of the world chess championship.
Engine trouble. Referring to a plane's engine as a ``motor'' in a headline Tuesday. There is a difference. . .
Mutual admiration society. Leaving out the mutual fund listing in Business Weekly. (No space - it did not run Tuesday.)
Green spleen. Continued complaints about Television Week's hard-to-read daytime grid and incomplete movie listings.
Bubba or nothing. Neglecting any auto racing coverage that isn't about NASCAR or drivers named ``Bubba'' or ``Junior.'' (Hey, I'm just the messenger.)
Top 25 at the bottom. Neglecting any pro football coverage that isn't about the Redskins.
Dash it all. Carefully changing all those offensive N-words to ``n-----'' in a Simpson trial story, then spelling out the word in an accompanying large-size quote.
Pipes or people? Running this BusinessNews headline: ``Sara Lee to close plant, send 364 sewers to Va.'' Are we talking about sewers? Or sew-ers?
Un-suitable. Flopping a photo with a Daily Break column on proper dress for men. Clues: the model's coat pocket was on the wrong side and the suit buttoned right over left.
by CNB