TO THE EDITOR:
The press has the right to request information from anybody. They also have the right to sue a public institution for information they feel is being wrongfully kept from them.
The public institution also has the obligation to keep certain matters private. A court’s job is to distinguish whether the information should be released.
I shudder to think of what our government would be able to do without the press scrutinizing every action, and am therefore grateful for the oversight organizations like The Daily Tar Heel are able to place on organizations like UNC. For example, I would love to know why Kendric Burney had a grade reduced from a C to a C- as a result of an Honor Court sanction; the usual sanction for cheating is an F in the course and a semester suspension. I’m not saying that Burney necessarily received preferential treatment, but concealing the details of the case when the (Raleigh) News & Observer published the ruling does nothing to counteract such conspiracy theories.
The only mistake in this matter I have seen The Daily Tar Heel make was publishing the letter sent in by Don Koontz, class of ‘59 (“Lawsuits don’t provide true view of any situation,” Nov. 1). His 70 words were easily the least stimulating and most ridiculous words I have heard all year, and I listen to the Pit preachers.
Scott Neidich
Senior
Biology and Chemistry
