Date: Tue, 11 Apr 1995 16:23:13 -0500 (CDT) From: Kevyn Jacobs To: "Kansas Queer News [KQN]" Subject: UDK EDITORIAL: WHY THE UDK REVEALED MOORE'S CRIMINAL RECORD FROM THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS - LAWRENCE APRIL 6, 1995 EDITORIAL PAGE ================================ MOORE STORY REFLECTS PAPER'S COMMITMENT TO THE TRUTH by Steven Martino - Kansan Editor This is the most difficult decision I have made as editor of the University Daily Kansan. Today, the Kansan ran a story about Eric Moore, the former direc- tor of LesBiGay Services of Kansas and former Student Senate senator candidate, that delves into issues that I and everyone involved in the news-decision process at the Kansan agonized about. While conducting routine background checks of all Student Senate candidates at the Douglas County Courthouse, the Kansan discov- ered that Moore had been convicted of aggravated indecent solicitation of a child under the age of 12. The Kansan also discovered the criminal records of two more Student Senate candidates. A separate story about those candidates appears in the Kansan today as well. Many campus leaders discussed with me the potential damage that would be caused by running the story about Moore. Every one of those campus leaders also questioned why the Kansan was running the story in the first place. The unanimous feeling among the leaders who approached me was that Moore had paid his debt to society and that running the story would only serve to damage him more and would serve no purpose to the University community. Obviously, I disagree, and this is the explanation. At 5 p.m. yesterday, a statement was released to the press saying that Moore was resigning from LesBiGayS OK and from the Student Senate coalition. His name will not be on the ballot. The statement said that he was leaving both groups because of health-related concerns. Three weeks ago, Moore tested positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The Kansan could have reported that health related concerns were the only reasons for his stepping aside, but the Kansan knew that to be false. On Monday, Moore was interviewed by Carlos Tejada, the Kansan's news editor and staff columnist, for a story declaring that Moore was HIV positive. This was a story that Moore had requested and that we agreed was worthy of running. During that interview, Moore told Tejada that he was committed to continuing with the Student Senate coalition. However, on Tuesday when a Kansan reporter told David Stevens, presidential candidate for the REAL coalition, of the Kansan's knowledge of Moore's conviction, the wheels were set into motion that led to Moore's resignations. It has been argued by many that the story that ran today had no news angle because Moore was no longer a candidate or a campus leader. Those same people have argued that Kansan need only men- tion the health-related concerns as his reason for resigning from his LesBiGay position and as a candidate. But to my way of thinking, omitting the truth is the same thing as lying. And even if we commit many errors at the Kansan, we always seek the truth. The truth is that Moore would not have resigned from either, as he told Tejada, had information not been leaked that we were working on the story about Moore's criminal conviction. Had the Kansan not reported the full story as it knew it, it would be accused of a cover-up, and its credibility would be destroyed. It has been argued that by publishing the story today about Moore's conviction, we have destroyed his life. The Kansan is not in the business of destroying lives, it is the business of reporting the truth. The truth is on page lA. Stephen Martino Is an Olathe senior In Journalism and political science.