Honesty and context

I was surfing the internet today whilst winding down from a morning's work, researching and putting the final touches on a paper for one of my units, when I came across the Tasmania University Union website. As I am a student at UTas (in Launceston), I decided to have a look around. What I found in an information page on VSU is typical of a technique that is becoming more and more widespread. That, or I am just becoming more and more aware of it.

I am sure that most readers of this website would be familiar with the recent changes regarding student unionism that are to come into effect on the 1st of July 2006. For those that aren't, in a nutshell the government has abolished the universal student unionism legislation in favour of voluntary student unionism.

Practically, in a 'greedy algorithm' style of thinking this means students will have the right to choose to either pay or not pay their Services & Amenities Fees (SA Fees). However, when looking past the initial financial benefit (which is only a benefit when we're used to paying it) then some argue that campus culture and amenities will suffer and the political power of students will disappear.

The problem that I have with the information presented by the TUU; that I also think is representative of much of today's mainstream media, is that the use of 'selective truth' often connotes an idea about the issue in the minds of the reader. This is of course completely deliberate and is how many large issues manage to escape rational debate, for instance during political campaigns etcetera.

The TUU gave a final fact at the end of their piece which stated "In reality students of UTAS are not required to be members of the TUU/SA but very few have opted out" but this is not really indicative of the views of the student body at large. This piece of selective truth doesn't tell the full story - that students either pay their SA Fees to the unions through which campus culture and amenities are funded or pay an amount equal to the SA Fees to a regulatory body which oversees the student unions.

The way this piece of truth is given implies that the student body largely and actively choose to support and be a part of their student unions - which I encourage. The reality is that the path of least resistance is to go with the flow and just pay what's invoiced.

I should note that I am not phased either way by VSU or USU, I don't think that by simply introducing legislation aimed at reducing funding of student unions that any government will be able to stifle the voices of students. Students who have diverse and passionate views on issues they care about. I also believe in choice and see this as another choice made by me and not by someone telling me what I must do. Imagine if it were compulsary for each Australian citizen to be a member or either the Labor or Liberal political parties...

My issue is simply one of honest and complete reporting of the issues in the media - in context. I think of student organisations as being organisations where people try and bring out the essence of a story or an issue, not report to control the masses like some governmental and commercial bodies. I want to believe that student organisations have enough faith in their students to be able to tell them the truth about an issue without having to resort to leading them toward a particular conclusion.

What happened to the idea that you tell the whole truth? My parents would take pains to teach my siblings and I as kids the difference in telling the truth and only part of the truth. I think the media at large, from student organisations through to mass media need to learn this lesson as well.