I am once again appalled by what you have chosen to report as “news”. This is the third time that I have read a story in your substandard excuse for a newspaper that have offended me based on the fact that I personally consider them to be libelous. In this country, a citizen is considered innocent until proven guilty. It is an ideal that has become increasingly trod upon and ignored by both our public servants as well as the media. Of course, I am referring to your attack on Father Ted.
Your paper recently published a story about a school teacher who made the mistake of driving under the influence. You reported the story before he was convicted. Yes, he made a mistake. However, you chose to make a predetermination to convict him in the public arena that you are supposed to be the unbiased defenders of. He did not deserve to be publicly chastised for something he did in his personal life only to be questioned in his professional life.
You neither have shame or any symbolism of professionalism in your reporting of the situation involving Father Ted. Once again you have shone a great lack of professional responsibility as a local, primary source of information to the public. You have chosen to chastise and embarrass one of the county”s most upstanding public servants.
I don”t intend to compare these two cases in any way aside from the fact they represent your journalistic irresponsibility. However, they both represent your apparent policy to misrepresent people before they have the opportunity to speak for themselves. In fact, you have so offended and politicized these incidences, to a foul and odious degree, that I have been moved write to an editor for the first time in my life.
Steve Cusic
Lakeport
