I’m writing in reference to last Thursday’s story about “blue laws” prohibiting brothels and/or sororities, written by Chris Sonneman.
This isn’t really meant as a letter to the editor. I’m just writing here because I’ve sent e-mails to the editor-in-chief, news editor and Mr. Sonneman about some problems I have with the story, and have gotten no response or acknowledgement. So I’m writing to the opinion page editor, hoping you read and/or answer your e-mails more regularly than the other people I’ve mailed.
As I said in the other mails, I believe the basis of Thursday’s blue law/brothel story is bogus. This is an old urban legend that’s been heard on countless campuses. No one has ever been able to present an actual written copy of any law prohibiting unrelated women from living together. If Mr. Sonneman, the Greek system or the university can present an actual copy of this repealed “blue law,” I’d like to know about it, and so would some other people.
I suggest you go to the urban legend site www.snopes.com and type “brothel” into the search engine. Click the link you’re given and you’ll get the full story, complete with annotations.
If the Free Press story is right — that is, if someone can show a copy of this “blue law,” which must have been written down sometime in its 300-year “life” — I’d kinda like to hear about that, because Boston might be the only place with such a law. If the story is wrong, and I suspect it is, I think the Freep owes its readers a correction. (I’ve not seen one on the Web site … and if one’s in the paper, it should be on the Web site too.)
Why am I being so insistent about this? Simple: As a professional journalist, I think newspapers need to set readers straight when mistakes are printed. I also think papers, student or professional, need to look closely at what they run before they run it … and unfortunately, I suspect the Freep swallowed a line on this one. If you have any info to the contrary, I can be reached at the address above.
Yours, Kurt Blumenau COM/CLA/Free Press ’95