Opinion & Comment

Don't Forget The Good Ones

APPALACHIAN NOTEBOOK, BY STEVE ODEN

A man IÕve known all my life came up to me at a public function recently and told me he wanted to cancel two subscriptions to the newspaper he had taken out for family members. His reason was that I had written an article that was Òunnecessary,Ó and implied I had done it just to embarrass him and his family. He said, ÒI could understand if it had been necessary, but it wasnÕt.Ó

I tried to tell him there is nothing personal about writing a news story; that I had heard no complaints from him of other similar stories I had written through the years, but he didnÕt want to listen to my reasoning. He waved my words away and turned his back to me. He wanted to vent his anger, and show me that I must pay for the grief I had caused him and his family by what I had written.

Years ago, this same man was my Sunday School teacher and the lessons he tried to instill in me at a young age were altogether different than the one he tried to teach me on this day. Still, I understand. When you read about the misfortunes of someone you donÕt know, you can do so impassionately, but when itÕs someone you know and love thatÕs being written about, it touches you in a far different way. And, of course, you want to, at least in a manner of speaking, Òkill the messenger.Ó

This is not the first time that weÕve lost someoneÕs respect Ñ or business Ñ because of a news story that touched them personally. And it wonÕt be the last. You know instinctively when youÕre writing a particular story the effect it might have on that person or his or her family members. But you have to distance yourself from that aspect of the story as you try to present the facts of what has transpired. ItÕs difficult sometimes . . . especially when youÕre writing for a small town newspaper, where everybody knows everybody.

This is not a business aimed at embarrassing anyone, but to simply record and present the events occurring in our community. It is not our goal to ridicule or judge or punish or expose a particular person for their misdeeds, but to inform the public about what we consider to be newsworthy events.

All a newspaper has going for it is its reputation, which takes years to establish. We cannot allow our integrity to be compromised because of friendships or even longstanding acquaintences. If we withhold information that should be reported, how can we be trusted to report the truth about any occurrence? When you begin ignoring newsworthy events simply because it will offend someone, then itÕs time to go looking for another line of work.

When a story causes heartache or sorrow or embarrassment, all you can do is say youÕre sorry. And I am sorry. I write a lot of things I donÕt want to write . . . stories that put a knot in my gut that lingers for days . . . stories that cause sleepless nights thinking about the confrontation that I know is inevitable . . . stories which need to be written even though you know in advance that they will result in repercussions.

ItÕs hard to explain to someone youÕve known all your life that the story you wrote was not a personal attack; because to him, it was. And itÕs there in black and white for everyone to see! And the more you look at it, the angrier you get. And the angrier you get, the more you want revenge. And revenge is a craving that must be dealt with by one means or another. I understand, and IÕm sorry. But thereÕs one thing that really bothers me about this type of reaction to a news story, and that is: Where was the rage when it was a story that didnÕt touch you personally? In this business, we have to distance ourselves from the story weÕre writing, but our readers are under no such obligation. They can and do take things personally. They can and do get their revenge. They can and do view us as an evil force that ÒunnecessarilyÓ told the truth.

Ñ Paul Roy