Sometimes taking a cuff back of the head is just what you need. Once the head clears, you may figure out you deserved it. Other times you shake your head and say, “I didn’t deserve that at all!”
Oh, but times have changed. Insults, threats and intolerance seem to be the norm now. Small town businesses seem to take the brunt of it.
Yesterday a reader emailed a mean spirited note belittling us for running press material from an elected official over a controversial issue.
“Cancel my subscription of 40 years,” the reader wrote.
“Quite a stretch, TCT, but it’s good to know where you stand politically. Damn journalistic standards of objectivity anyway,” this person’s statements seeping with sarcasm and anger.
This wasn’t the first time an elected official has written to our paper, it happens all the time. The official wrote about a controversial issue. Not the first time in 40 years that has happened either. In the past when a reader is concerned about a stance someone voices in the newspaper, the course of action is to write a letter and explain why the person is wrong or why you disagree.
Too often today, those who disagree with issues threaten to hurt your business, throw insults and say, “Cancel my subscription.”
How dare this newspaper put something in the paper you disagree with! Sounds like you are trying to bully your local paper? Schools go to great lengths these days to stop bully tactics. But it’s okay for you?
Why, because you don’t agree with what is written in your local paper by an elected official. Somehow the newspaper is at fault, as if we wrote it? The same paper that time after time, week after week and year after year, covers everything from local sports, feature stories, Easter Egg Hunts, graduation, Village meetings, deaths, anniversaries, births, festivals and anything else happening in a community. And you can bet the information is correct, unlike social media posts.
This person has no idea where this newspaper stands, or where anyone who works for this newspaper stands politically. Take your anger elsewhere… our staff works hard and cares about the communities we cover. There were over 45 local stories written in last week’s paper about all sorts of subjects, people, places, events, historical and current news. There was one press release sent to us from an elected official and somehow you question our journalistic standards?
We don’t like bully tactics, express your position instead.
“Cancel my subscription of 40 years standing”…come on. If you want to have civil exchange of ideas, then our doors are always open and our pages are open as well for you to express yourself.
Civility seems to be a forgotten notion. This newspaper and it’s staff didn’t deserve that cuff back of the head.
