SECTION: EDITORIAL & COMMENT , Pg. 6A

LENGTH: 319 words

HEADLINE: LOOK AT THE MESSENGER BEFORE BELIEVING MESSAGE

BODY:


The Ohio Farm Bureau applauds The Dispatch's Aug. 6 editorial condemning the scare tactics of the Environmental Working Group. By questioning its claims that our drinking water is unsafe, it correctly identified the group's shameful history of twisting data to suit its purposes.

That purpose is to frighten people. The formula is simple: Tell people that what they eat, drink or breathe is killing them, then sit back and wait for the contributions to flow in and use them to fund more scare campaigns. If there is a legitimate reason to be frightened, it lies in the willingness of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to be influenced by groups like this. Too often the federal EPA is an ally of activist organizations that believe sound science takes a back seat to political agendas.

The Farm Bureau is working toward passage of House Resolution 1592, the Regulatory Fairness and Openness Act. It says that Congress, not the unelected bureaucrats at the EPA, should create the laws to protect the public. And it instructs the agency to respect basic principles of science when it goes through the rule-making process.

The editorial serves as a reminder that when we see news reports that deal with the safety of our food, water and air, we should pay close attention not only to what is said, but also to who is saying it and why.

John C. "Jack'' Fisher

Executive vice president

Ohio Farm Bureau

Columbus

Fellow professor gives his seal of approval

I was excited by Steve Iseman's defense of public relations in his Aug. 8 letter to the editor. I suspect the 275 members of the Columbus chapter of the Public Relations Society of America were, too. Iseman, an Ohio Northern University associate professor, is a graduate of Ohio State University journalism classes, and I consider him the best PR professor in Ohio.

Walt Seifert

OSU journalism professor emeritus

Columbus

LOAD-DATE: August 18, 1999