LETTERS: LET PUBLIC GO LOOK UP SALARY DATA

To the editor:

Whatever happened to privacy? For the six years I have lived in Cape Girardeau it has disturbed me that the Missourian feels that the salaries of the faculty at Southeast Missouri State University are news which needs to be published on a yearly basis. I realize that the salaries of state employees are a matter of public record, and I realize that taxpayers pay a large fraction of those salaries, but why does that make this information front-page news? When has the Missourian published anything else on an annual basis which is a matter of public record or a taxpayer-funded entity? And what purpose does it serve to publish this information except to stir up ill feelings among faculty or the community or to have people feed on gossip? When has the salary of another person ever been anyone's business? Isn't that one of the things that used to be taboo (never talk about money, religion, or politics)? I do not believe this information is anyone's business unless someone wants to volunteer the information. If someone is that interested in delving into another person's private business, let him go to the trouble to seek out that information on his own. If the Missourian is going to insist on this breach of privacy on a yearly basis, then why not be fair and also publish the amount taken out of those salaries for taxes and benefits? That would put the information in a completely different light. The Missourian might publish a list of its own employees' salaries as well. That way we can compare and tell if we are getting a good bargain by paying the price for our subscriptions to the paper. I have a suggestion for the Missourian. Next year leave this list of salaries out of your newspaper. After all, there is real news in the world just waiting to be published by real journalists. See what kind of response you get from the community. My guess is that you will havevery few calls from people who miss their yearly dose of gossip. And if you do get calls, direct them to Kent Library where they can satisfy their nosiness by going to the trouble of searching for the information on their own. Come on, Missourian. Let people have their privacy. MAGGIE PROBST

Cape Girardeau