After more than three decades of the Salazar and Caetano dictatorships which kept their country in colonial wars after colonialism had proven outmoded, the Portuguese rose on April 25, 1974, and overthrew their government. Naturally, as often happens after a period when political leanings strive for new political powers, all who had something to say took to the streets or to whatever means were available to help them let off steam, or organize - a fact that brought the American media on the scene. Even the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, through its international reporter, Tom Otternad, reported on the events. Nothing wrong with that. Newspapers have a right to report history on the making. Some, in fact, particularly large metropolitan publications, are almost always duty bound to do so.
"Libertad!" started one of Ottenad's articles as he described the signs on billboards and parades up and down Liberty Avenue, Lisbon. "Libertad!" Great Word. There was, however, one minor point which few took into consideration. Ottenad never saw that word, or heard anyone shout it, on Avenida da LIBERDADE. "Libertad!" doesn't exist in Portuguese.
One can not blame Ottenad for his error, or for the fact that the Post-Dispatch never corrected it. The American media, once in a particular mode, are somewhat stubborn, be they correct, or not. And if Ottenad or anyone else in the Post-Dispatch felt that that was the way to proclaim Liberty in Portuguese, that was the way it would be reported. Period. Years ago, for example, even the Encyclopedia Britannica, stated that the Azores was composed of ten islands by making the Formigas Rocks one of them. When I wrote in trying to correct that error, I indirectly became the butt of jokes, someone who didn't know what he was saying, and who needed to be called on by one of the company's itinerant salesmen. Never mind that I had been born approximately twenty-five miles from those rocks on São Miguel Island. It wasn't until after several years, however, and several pleas later, that I received a letter from the Britannica, indicating that a change would appear in subsequent updated editions.
At least that organization did something positive. In America, errors generally are not corrected that easily. Anyone who doubts it should read Arthur Miller's ALL MY SONS, to find out why - or what is the most important factor in anyone's mind before he, or she, makes a final decision - or a needed correction. Robert McNamara's book on Viet Nam may also be a good example. On the other hand, perhaps this is not the time for anyone to get political. Let us, therefore, lighten up. Example: Years ago, when American Airlines first started flying to Brazil, someone at the Dallas International Airport decided to paint the arrival instructions in English, Spanish, and another language along the corridors in the Customs Area. I assumed that the third language was Portuguese. Unfortunately, I also noticed that it had a few errors in spelling and idiomatic expressions.
Having met Albert Casey, the Chairman of American Airlines, when he was CEO at Times Mirror, and feeling that he knew my credentials, I sent him a letter on the matter. Casey replied telling me that he would call the errors to the attention of the people in charge. The next time I passed by the corridor, the wall showed that Casey had kept his word. Unfortunately the changes still left much to be desired, a fact that prompted me to write again to the Vice President to whom the case had been assigned. He responded by telling me that I was probably wrong, for the corrected text had been gone over by a professor of romance languages at Baylor University. He did not state, however, which romance language the professor spoke, or taught. When I replied that the professor was probably incompetent or did not know Portuguese, the Vice President informed me that, in the future, he would no longer reply to my comments. Furthermore, he added, the Dallas Airport International Arrivals Area was federal property. American Airlines was not responsible for it.
It was interesting, however, that the next time I passed by that area at Dallas, the Portuguese text had been removed. END OF ARGUMENT.
Such was not the case, however, with at least two of the program suppliers for National Public Radio, one of whom claimed that America was falling behind in the international market because it failed to pay attention to people's language habits. As an example, the commentator pointed to the NOVA, an automobile that had been discontinued by General Motors "because that company had failed to realize that NOVA in Latin America implied 'doesn't go'. Never mind that studies prove that the NOVA, as sold in the U. S. at the time, (It has now been brought back successfully in an updated version ) had become inefficient. The same commentator then went on to indicate that Latins pronounced NOVA as "No Va" (Obviously he did not speak Spanish, or he would have known that there are differences in the pronounciations of NOVA and No Va). Furthermore, he forgot one other important factor. Brazil, the largest market south of the border, is part of Latin America and in Portuguese the word NOVA can be an adjective or a substantive, both used in constant conversation and at no time implying "doesn't go". The latter expression, if applied to conversational Portuguese about non-moving cars would be translated as "não anda", but never as "No Va". Furthermore, in Portuguese "No" is a contraction of two words "em", a preposition meaning "in", "on", or "by", and the masculine gender article "o". At no time is that word equated with a negative.
I wrote to the NPR producer of the above-mentioned segment requesting that, for the sake of credibility - and without destroying the thesis of the previous presentation - the network come up with a segment on foreign languages where that correction would made. To my surprise I received a reply stating that it had never been the segment's intention to call attention to Brazil. END OF ARGUMENT?
No. I replied by calling attention to the fact that, in the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world, Mexico, there are only two grades of gasoline - Regular, and the higher octane NOVA. I then asked why if Latins, such as Mexicans, for example, in NPR's opinion pronounced NOVA as the English equivalent of "doesn't go", Mexico's higher-priced gasoline should go by that name.
I never received a reply. Some months later, however, while on my way home, I heard another segment of NPR where the same argument was raised once again by some "informed" marketing linguist.. I haven't listened to NPR since. Instead, I have either read, or listened to the recent media frenzy dealing with the alleged Clinton affair with Monica Lewinski and the fact that some of media have waited this long (Today is January 30, 1998) to start noticing that what they have is an allegation and not a fact. Nevertheless, a large segment among those "professionals" (Their word, not mine) is only too ready to see beyond facts - perhaps the same way that Tom Ottenad saw the word "Libertad" years ago. On Monday, January 26th, for example, I tried to call attention on my radio segment over WGNU, St. Louis, that what the American people had before them was unproven. At first, a large part of the audience, judging by those who called in, became somewhat confused. How could I in my little station contradict what the "big boys" already knew? Little by little, however, the callers started to change, until one asked my partner, Milt Schaefer, to tell me that ABC News and a Dallas newspaper had asserted that a Secret Service agent had witnessed the liaison. I asked the caller to tell me how, possibly using my own sex practices and a little bit of common sense as guidelines. "How did he witness?" I asked. "By looking through the keyhole?" In my home my wife and I normally close the bedroom door - perhaps for fear that the dog may look in.
The caller had no reply. Suffice to say that the next day the Dallas newspaper miraculously admitted that it had given out the wrong information. The question now is: What was the rush, in fact, the necessity, to get out the wrong information before a public that had already been overly manipulated?
As someone born under a dictatorship whose media was controlled beyond the limits of common sense, I treasure that great gift that makes the First Amendment to the American Constitution one of man's greatest gifts to freedom. I don't appreciate it, however, when the media abuses that amendment to make a case out of unproven facts and, particularly, out of a matter that not only hurts those closest to it, but, occasionally and possibly, the nation itself. The Clinton-Lewinski Affair, if there was one , is regrettable. Furthermore, if the President of the United State committed perjury as he tried to deny it, or in convincing others to lie about it under oath, he committed a grievous wrong for which he should be duly punished. The media, however, without having the facts, but reporting on them, is as irresponsible as if one of its members were to yell fire in a crowded theater. And, just as the person committing that act deserves to be punished, the organizations that for the sake of a greater reading. listening, or viewing audience, provide unchecked, or incomplete, information that emotionally drains anyone, should also be equally punished. This is not to say that I would apply any form of censorship to future work by the media, or take away any of their responsibilities. It would be interesting, however, if, after the Clinton-Lewinski matter has run its course, and the allegations prove to be no more than just that, a class-action suit were brought up against those who in their reporting were completely wrong. Who knows? Perhaps the resultant "damage"" would be that reporters and mouthpieces would become more accurate in the future. It's "a consolation devoutly to be wished" .*1
And why not? If McDonald's can be punished for hurting people's skin with hot coffee, why can't the media be treated equally by the people to whom they purposely fail on their responsibilities?
St. Louis, Missouri
January 30, 1998 Manuel L. Ponte mlp@fclass.net
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