I would like to start this letter by noting the verbiage found in the masthead of the Voices section of the Daily Egyptian (Read on page 4, upper right-hand corner).

Keeping those words in mind, I was amazed at the absence of coverage of the Christian men’s rally organized Oct. 4 in Washington, D.C. I hesitated sending a letter at first, presuming that there would be some delay on the coverage. It would appear that the DE is not the trusted source of news it promotes itself to be.

I was present at the Stand in the Gap gathering, and it would seem to me that such a large throng of people would merit at least a mention in the DE’s Nation briefs section. Or, perhaps there would be a mention of the protesters and their issues with such a gathering. Alas, no such mention existed in the papers that I read after the event. Apparently the rally was not newsworthy although every major network provided coverage in their news and the event was televised in its entirety on C-SPAN. Even the Southern Illinoisan offered up several stories.

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As a former student newspaper staffer, I recognize that there are difficult issues that need to be brought to light, such as Gay and Lesbian History Month or the Select 2000 initiative. If you can help readers understand the issues affecting their lives, why is there no coverage of a movement structured around men becoming better husbands, fathers and coworkers? I acknowledge that there are some perceptions of those who feel that there are other motives behind this movement especially because of its Christian orientation. But the DE does not seem to find this type of information as meritorious of their coverage.

It’s a sad day in our country when an effort organized to do good for the country is not given a moment’s notice, especially when our society is searching for something that will improve family life and racial reconciliation. I only hope SIUC students were able to hear about this effort by some other means.