In the present-day world, attaching importance to ordinary things and making them newsworthy seems to be the trend. If a mosque is built somewhere in Iowa, it is given front- page coverage in the Daily. If a soldier serving in Iraq is back home for a week that, too, is given front page coverage.

I agree with Julie Sokol in her Sept. 24 letter, “Reasons for soldier’s return are unclear.” I found it strange the Daily should publish a story essentially saying someone came back home from military service because his ticket was paid for by his family. If some bar is not given their liquor license that, too, is printed on the front page. I guess the next story that will be published is that someone urinating in front of Beardshear was caught in the act by DPS.

When a senior died in Friley last semester and his death was not noticed for a few days, all it got was a few lines the next day. After that nothing about this tragic death appeared in the Daily.

Diversity, for instance, keeps receiving much unrequited attention. Anything to do with minorities or is international is considered hip and therefore newsworthy. Before publishing such things, the Daily would do well to know if the average reader has the interest or capacity to understand other people and cultures.

Aditya Velivelli

Graduate Student

Mechanical Engineering