Printer-Friendly
Email this Story
Post a Comment (0)
Story on lights 'poorly reported, highly prejudicial'
I found the article, "BOS postpones action on athletic lights until July 21," in the July 10 edition of the Rappahannock News poorly reported and highly prejudicial.Mr. Gannon, the reporter, starts the article by writing, "Nearly every seat was filled and many stood at the back of the room with a strong turnout of RCSSA's sports boosters mixed in with many opponents of the sports-lights plan." This sentence suggests that the only ones who were there to support the plan were boosters. That was not the case. There were a good number of Rappahannock citizens there in support with no affiliation with the boosters.
Mr. Gannon refers to the lease-purchase agreement as "county -backed.” This suggests that county funds are to be used for the project. This is not true. The entire expense will be borne by RCSSA; it has a $100,000 down payment and a proven record of being able to raise funds. Last year the RCSSA contributed over $31,000 dollars it raised for capital improvements and equipment to our school system.
Mr. Gannon states, “Eight spoke in favor of the lights, nine spoke against.” He then devotes 20 column inches to those who spoke against and less than four column inches to those who spoke in favor. Two of those four inches were about the nuts and bolts of how it would be paid for. Mr. Gannon in his reporting spent a large part of his article quoting and paraphrasing those who spoke against but nary a word of those who spoke in favor.
I personally am in favor of the lights and spoke at the meeting. I think it would be great if members of the community, even if you do not have kids in the schools, would come out in the early evening to meet neighbors that you would not ordinarily meet, build a sense of community and root for the home team.
It is the right of the Rappahannock News in its editorials to raise questions and present the paper's point of view. The paper and its reporters do not have the right to omit from news stories one side of the debate to further advance their own views.
Henry R. Gorfein
Washington
You must be logged in to post a comment.