The Holy Zoo
(March 4, 2010) In the movie Madagascar, Alex the Lion and Melman the giraffe loved their zoo. The crowds adored Alex and the animals had all needs taken care of with little effort. Who doesn’t love a zoo?
That’s the question the Times-Standard should have asked before publishing its Feb. 14 editorial titled “Some things have to remain sacred.” It argued that the city of Eureka should not cut off some $700,000 in funding to the zoo to close a budget shortfall.
And it said that the T-S stood behind its May editorial, in which it first described the zoo as sacred.
If anything is sacred, it is the newspaper editorial. Newspaper editorials helped unite a doubting public to revolt against the British in the years leading up to the American revolution. Editorials by a few brave Southern editors helped spotlight the reality of racial discrimination and violence during the civil rights revolution in the 1950s. Editorials can serve as the leadership voice that can help unite a divided community and push a community to better itself. The editorial in the local newspaper is the one thing I can’t find elsewhere — it is the unique voice of the newspaper.
That’s why I groaned when I read the editorial about the zoo, and not because I hate zoos because I don’t. When I lived in Washington, D.C., I loved cutting through the National Zoo to get from one end of the city to the other. A zoo always makes me feel like a kid. One of my few happy memories as a teenager was the day I cut school with a friend; she had her parent’s car that day and for a lark we decided to spend it at the zoo. I have taken my daughter to the Sequoia Park Zoo and I will likely take her again.
But that doesn’t mean I love zoos. The older I get, the tougher it is to not care that zoos confine animals in an unnatural existence — even at the best zoos, where they have space to roam. At the Sequoia Park Zoo, they don’t have much space to roam. And there are many people who deplore zoos. There are an awful lot of animal rights activists in this county.
My problem with the editorial wasn’t that it argued for continued support of the zoo. My problem was that it failed to acknowledge any other side to the argument. It negated any controversy on an issue that has to be controversial. We are talking about caged animals. And it framed it as the most important issue out there.
The Times-Standard, unlike most regional newspapers, doesn’t always print an editorial. In the last two months it published at least 14 papers with no editorial. At least another seven papers featured the “Roasts and Toasts” format, where the paper devotes a short paragraph each to a variety of issues, either roasting an action or development or toasting it. In March 2007, the paper roasted this column, for example, for my short-sighted view regarding the importance of small town news.
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44th Annual Kinetic Grand Championship Race
STAFF PICK / events, art, outdoors, sports, for kids, free / 9 a.m.-6 p.m. A 3-day, 42-mile kinetic sculpture race over land, sand, mud and water! LeMans start at the Noon Whistle on the Arcata Plaza. Follow the race through Manila, Eureka and into Ferndale on Memorial Day for the Glorious Finish. kineticgrandchampionship.com. 889-3024.
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10 Comments
Comment / By Anonymous / March 5, 6:03 a.m.
“But just when I decided that this is a personal issue to someone at the T-S…”
Times-Standard Managing Editor Kimberly Wear is a board member of the Sequoia Park Zoo Foundation, something she hasn’t disclosed in editorials about the zoo, which she writes.
Comment / By Sandy / March 5, 8:04 a.m.
The zoo is sacred to the political right because of those who are involved, from the zoo board to its benefactors. If these people weren’t so intimately involved, the word sacred wouldn’t ever be used to describe the zoo.
Comment / By Jun B. / March 6, 8:11 a.m.
the zoo is supported by all sides of the political, economic and ethnic spectrum which is why it is called sacred. The zoo is the top attrcation in Eureka for minorities. It is also the top attraction for the middle and upperclass income level families yet the zoo also draws thousands of those who are not so fortunate with their complementary ticket programs (where free zoo tickets are distributed by social workers to those in need) and on there dollar wednesdays (75% discounted addmission on wednesdays). Both republicans and democrats have rented the zoo as a venue for their campaign rallies and canidates from both parties pledge support for the zoo. Editors at most of the local papers and the local radio stations frequentaly attend zoo board meetings because they know the people of Eureka love their zoo and want to hear about its opperation.
Comment / By Allen Nyhuis / March 6, 8:59 a.m.
Here is how you can get over any problems with zoos “caging” animals — just realize that they are animals, not people. As long as the zoo humanely cares and exhibits its residents, those animals do not care about human concepts like “freedom” and “liberty”. What animals care about is eating, roaming, and reproducing. Most of America’s modern zoos provide for those animal needs quite well.
Allen Nyhuis, Coauthor: America’s Best Zoos
Comment / By meanie jim / March 6, 9:55 p.m.
those are awful fact-ish comments jun B, going on your gut instinct or do they exist in print somewhere that the rest of us can read? BTW, Does the B stand for Beatrice?
Comment / By Joel Mielke / March 9, 8:16 p.m.
“The zoo is the top attrcation in Eureka for minorities.”
WTF?
Comment / By gorilla / March 10, 10:26 a.m.
i don’t think marcy meant to start a discussion about the zoo. i think the zoo was the example to highlight a longtime problem with TS editorials. when they are authored, they are usually done in such a last minute scramble that affords no time for substance or meaningful thought. it would be wise of the TS to cut a “lifestyle” staffer (what do they do anyway??) and hire an editorial writer. this would provide daily editorials of a quality superior to what is being delivered. i am surprised this move has not been made, i am quite sure more people crack the oped pages before turning to lifestyle to find out what old church is still standing.
Comment / By slutbouquet / April 17, 9:07 p.m.
“But just when I decided that this is a personal issue to someone at the T-S…”
Times-Standard Managing Editor Kimberly Wear is a board member of the Sequoia Park Zoo Foundation, something she hasn’t disclosed in editorials about the zoo, which she writes.
This is exactly right on! The Times-Standard has completely abandoned any and all ethics. I for one can’t understand why this community continues to tolerate it. The only media worth reading in Humboldt anymore is produced in Arcata. The Eye, the NCJ, Savage Henry, hell, even the Jack. Give up on the T-S. They want your dollars, not your opinion.
Comment / By Jessica / May 6, 3:35 p.m.
@slutbouquet
What do you mean “hell, even the Jack”? You sound surprised that HSU’s student newspaper is more worth reading than the T-S!
Comment / By Commenteer Joe / Today, 8:55 a.m.
Marcy,
Your writing is conversationally boring. Do I agree with your sentiments? Partly yes, partly no. Editorials in the TS? Sure; what a great idea! Though your introduction to the discussion; what sorry writing!