Looking back at coverage from the 40th anniversary of the tragedy at Kent State...
The article on the May 4 memorial at Kent State failed to fully inform the reader of the historical details of those events of 40 years ago [“The New Face of Tragedy,” April 28, 2010]. The article did not mention that most of the students who were shot were not even participating in the peaceful anti-war protest on campus. They were on their way to class. They were bystanders.The history of the anti-war movement is glossed over, and the article implies that the events were set off by “drunken students” breaking windows in the downtown area off campus.
Comments like “There are two sides to every story,” “a motley group of 30 students,” and “aging hippie” are poorly disguised attempts to denigrate one side. The writer’s sympathies are obvious.
If Rick Perloff’s article is an example of Scene’s renewed efforts at journalism, it is a huge disappointment. It would take an analysis of thousands of words to dissect and correct the entire article, let alone truthfully recount the events of that infamous day.
So far, the new Scene adds nothing to the Cleveland scene.
Gerald Seidel
Cleveland Heights
