Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 21, 1993 TAG: 9302190034
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
STORY MISSED GIST OF ICE-T'S MESSAGE
It is a shame staff writer Madelyn Rosenberg was not listening to Ice-T as he spoke at Radford University Feb. 11.I say that because the only other explanation for her article is that she intentionally chose to ignore his message and to improve an editorial-like interpretation to his address.
Overall, the article presents Ice-T as a money-grubbing, cop-hating opportunist - the very characterization he came here to correct. The audience learned about the man and his music, but the general public, who depends upon the news to learn about community and world events it cannot observe first-hand, got distorted and judgmental coverage.
Three aspects of the article are particularly disturbing:
First, it emphasizes the controversy surrounding the song "Cop Killer," which was only one of many subjects discussed.
True, the song is the source of Ice-T's current notoriety in mainstream culture, but one of the reasons he pulled the song from the album and is speaking to students across the country is because the coverage overshadowed the message. Your newspaper did it again.
Second, Ms. Rosenberg fanned the flames of conflict by inaccurately reporting what Ice-T said about police officers. If you were there and listening, you would have heard Ice-T express his respect for the "cops" who do a tough and often thankless job.
The anti-cop quotes you printed referred specifically to officers who abuse their authority, corrupt the system and brutalize citizens, particularly minorities. I sincerely hope no one would argue that such officers are models for law enforcement.
Third, the article virtually ignored the many positive messages he delivered for troubled youth, minorities and people who want a truly United States.
Again and again, Ice-T returned to his theme that racial injustice exists in America, our society is suffering and we have to struggle together to overcome it. While I did not like or agree with everything the man said, that is the gist of what I heard.
So I am compelled to write. The article misrepresents two-plus hours of entertainment and education, and it does a disservice to readers who want to understand who Ice-T is and what he really stands for.
But perhaps he was right. Perhaps it is easier to discredit an artist who is critical of our institutions than to admit he might have something worthwhile to say.\ Brenda Conner\ Dublin
Editor's Note: Much of the information and many of the quotes in Madelyn Rosenberg's story came from Ice-T's afternoon press conference.