LETTER: ARRESTING COVERAGE

The Aug. 3 article (from The New York Times) headlined "Jailed
scholar might be released today" was an excellent lesson in how to
impart an opinion while remaining outwardly objective.

The headline makes John E. Tobin out to be some sort of political
prisoner. The article used the choice phrase "a search reportedly
uncovered a miniscule amount of marijuana in his clothes." The whole
notion that somebody could be jailed for months in some Ukrainian
prison for a "miniscule" amount of marijuana that was "reportedly"
uncovered is made to seem ridiculous.

Had the story been about a young man being arrested in Southeast
Raleigh and convicted for possession of marijuana I doubt it would
have used words like "reportedly" and "miniscule." More likely, the
story would say something like " ...was arrested after officers found
narcotics on his person ..." and would take on the tone of "thank
goodness another menace to society has been imprisoned!"

Somehow it's easy to criticize (however subtly) drug policy in a
"backwards" state like Russia, where surely Tobin's conviction was in
some kangaroo courtroom, right? But we Americans would never jail an
individual for something so trivial ...or would we?

JASON PRIEBE

Raleigh