Bravos for One Reporter

I just read a reprint in the South Bend Tribune of an article by Ruth Padawer of The Record in Bergen County, NJ entitled "Herpes Epidemic Preys on Uninformed". It is literally the first article on an STD that I've read that was unbiased and didn't pit opposing opinions to fill the column space.

Ms. Padawer committed a "flagrant act of journalism" and reported facts and used testimonies to indicate the difficulty of living with herpes. Amazingly missing was her own opinion. The reader reads, comprehends and decides how to use the information.

Although some may fault her for not mentioning "condoms" or "safe sex", by not doing so, the focus was on just how one contracts the virus and how disease management is a lifelong process.
She also didn't support sexual abstinence in any way. Personally, I think that made that alternative crystal clear in the article. After all there is a herpes epidemic--one in four of us have it. When even the tiniest herpes lesion provides entry to an HIV invasion and when the body's immune system is already weakened fighting herpes, a wake up call should be annoying the heck out of us!