BETWEEN THE LINES: REACTION TO PRESIDENT'S SEX SCANDAL PERPLEXES SOME JOURNALISTS

Once again, the past week's events proved my theory: fiction is never as good as the truth.

Journalists couldn't have made up stories that would have been as well read or as talked about as those found in last week's newspapers or television news broadcasts.

The headlines were amazing and covered everything of interest to the American public: sex, religion and politics.

An alleged sex scandal at the White House got more news coverage than Pope John Paul II's historic visit to Cuba or the Unabomber's admission of guilt.

In case you haven't heard, the latest "Crisis in the White House," so dubbed by various broadcast agencies, involves an alleged sexual affair between President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, a 24-year-old former White House intern.

Needless to say, it was a crazy week in the news business. I'm still trying to make sense of it all.

In a business that thrives on scandals, crime and tragedy, the past week was most unusual. There wasn't any way to predict these things would occur, nor could we predict the public's reaction to them.

The pope's visit made headlines until the Clinton story broke and all the top journalists left Cuba to cover the "breaking news." Ted Kaczynksi's guilty plea was completely lost in the shuffle.

Reaction to the Clinton story still confuses me. It reminds me of the Clarence Thomas hearings -- he said, she said.

Although theories abound about his guilt and-or innocence, I'm not sure exactly where Clinton stands on the line between right and wrong. And I'm not about to judge. He could be guilty or he could be innocent.

Either way, I'm certain of one thing -- this scandal is one of the most talked about stories of recent time.

But one question still baffles me: Why is this such a hot news story?

What makes this particular scandal any different from all the others to hit the White House in recent years? What makes this news?

I think the reason this story has gained so much attention is simply because people love to gossip.

Few people really care whether the president urged members of his staff to lie under oath -- a criminal offense. They are more interested in the details of the alleged affair.

I'm perplexed about the interest Americans have in the president's personal life when they don't show half as much interest in the workings of our national government, which affects their daily life.

I'm not sure what kind of statement this makes about our nation. Are we really that caught up in gossip and slander that we forsake all the important issues?

What kind of message are we sending to young children when a sex scandal headlines the news for nearly a week, overshadowing other major events around the world?

How will this scandal impact future generations of voters?

More than likely it will create a generation of Americans so dissatisfied with the deception and scandals that surround government and politics that they won't vote, run for elected office or get involved in civic projects.

I watched one news program offering tips to parents on how to explain the scandal to their children. One commentator said this scandal had the potential to create a generation of cynics.

Really? I never would have guessed.

Even the most cynical of people -- journalists -- have some faith left. We know that yet another scandal waits around the corner.

~Laura Johnston is a copy editor for the Southeast Missourian.