There Ya Go
It’s time for a clarification.
I got called out this week in a letter to the editor (it’s on the bottom of this page). I don’t mind getting called out. I deal with it all the time.
Hardly does a week go by that I don’t get questioned, swore at or criticized for something I wrote or didn’t write, or for an opinion I’ve offered.
That’s fine. That’s part of the job and something that has helped me form skin thick enough to make an alligator jealous. It’s not fun, but it’s something I learned long ago I must accept.
The author of the letter to which I am referring, however, needs some context.
I was criticized for writing a story — it was the ICE-related piece that was published a couple of weeks ago — that featured an anonymous source. Anonymity is not something I welcome. In fact, that’s the first time in my 35-plus years of newspapering that I’ve ever used an unnamed source.
In this case, however, I agreed to. To be honest, I suggested it.
Writing about ICE is a tricky thing these days, especially when we’re talking about someone who reached out to me via email for advice, a person who has kids of mixed race. And the last thing I want to do was expose a person who has legitimate concerns about her children.
I promised this woman that I would not use her name. Why?
Well, frankly, I selfishly wanted to do the story. I thought it would bring the issue to our front door. It’s called localizing in the biz. Second, I’m human. I’m a smalltown journalist, and believe it or not, I care about the people I write about. Besides, why would I put someone in harm’s way if they don’t want to be identified?
Seriously, why? The author of this letter suggested the Headlight was being hypocritical because we refuse to publish letters to the editor from anonymous sources. We literally publish in the paper that we won’t accept any letter to the editor that doesn’t include a name and phone number.
Here’s where the clarification comes in. Letters to the editor are, in no way, shape or form, the same thing as a hard news story. We’re talking apples-tooranges. I have longed called for the public to submit letters to the editor more frequently, but most refuse to do it. They don’t want people to know their thoughts and opinions for some reason. Sure, they’ll share them with me privately — and I’ve had many great conversations with people — but the second I suggest a letter to the editor, they look at me as if I asked them for a kidney.
This is the society we live in now, and I’ve begrudgingly accepted that.
Letters to the editor, for the most part, are people’s thoughts and opinions — they’re not news. And you don’t have to know squat about the newspaper business to understand the difference.
The story I wrote will almost surely be the last one I do that involves an anonymous source. I don’t blame the letter writer for questioning this person’s credibility, because, who wouldn’t? Hell, for all you know, I made the whole thing up (I didn’t). That’s the problem with anonymity. And that’s exactly why we don’t publish anonymous letters to the editor. So I’ll take the hit on this one, but I can sleep well knowing I didn’t ignore my empathy for a worried mom just for a story.
With so many leaders, who needs a director?
The Tracy Area Chamber of Commerce has undergone numerous changes since I started working here for Seth nine years ago (it’s been nine years already?). There have been more than a handful of different directors since then, some who didn’t last very long for whatever reason. Chamber leaders seem to have waved the white flag on hiring a new director, and while that might sound scary, I think it’s worked out.
The Chamber held its annual banquet this past Saturday, and it was another wonderful night with many great Tracyites being honored for their dedication to our town and its people. And it is those people that make me think: Who needs a director?
These people work so hard and give back so much that it seems a director isn’t really necessary. Besides, if you look at the Chamber’s bottom line, you will see a pretty healthy one since they’re not paying a director.
Keep it up, Chamber members. You’re doing a wonderful job, and we’re lucky to have you.
