Partial truth harmful by Kevin Marousek
Partial truth harmful
Letter to the Editor
I tried to take seriously the Dayton Daily News articles about the Peace Corps. The editorial that kicked off the series (“Perils faced by volunteers need to be reported," Oct. 26) said that these stories "deserve to be told, too." It would have been better if someone with ethics or morals had been available to tell the stories. It also might have been better if there had been an attempt at balanced coverage.
The DDN claims these stories need to be told to balance out the overwhelmingly favorable stories constantly being reported elsewhere. I'd appreciate knowing what newspaper is running a seven-day series about the positive side of the Peace Corps.
Most of the stories the DDN writers unearthed are interesting on some level. What is outrageous are the facts the DDN opted to leave out. The DDN also neglected to emphasize that these stories represent a small and abnormal fraction of the experiences of Peace Corps volunteers.
Readers will be led to believe volunteering in the Peace Corps is little less than a death sentence, or an invitation to be raped. The DDN published pictures of men standing in front of buildings with guns, but didn't bother to explain the conditions of countries where such security is commonplace.
A partial truth is more harmful than a lie, and the DDN stories are harmful to those who read them.
I've yet to read a single DDN story that proves the Peace Corps guilty of any crimes, including negligence. Volunteers are briefed on countless safety and security issues before they are sworn in.
Kevin Marousek
Costa Mesa, Calif.
[From the Dayton Daily News: 11.04.2003]
