A question of ethics: editor knows letter reflects only part of the story.EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS reject letters they know to contain factual errors, but what happens when an editor suspects a letter writer's opinion on a sensitive subject is based on only partial information? Here's a followup followup - On Usenet, a posting generated in response to another posting (as opposed to a reply, which goes by e-mail rather than being broadcast). Followups include the ID of the parent message in their headers; smart news-readers can use this information to present Usenet news in to a situation Michael Michael, archangel Michael (mī`kəl) [Heb.,=who is like God?], archangel prominent in Christian, Jewish, and Muslim traditions. In the Bible and early Jewish literature, Michael is one of the angels of God's presence. Landauer of The Dallas Morning News shared on the listserv recently. Landauer, the News' lead editorial writer for Collin County, was faced with a dilemma when a letter writer protested the Plano City Council's decision to honor As a verb, to accept a bill of exchange, or to pay a note, check, or accepted bill, at maturity. To pay or to accept and pay, or, where a credit so engages, to purchase or discount a draft complying with the terms of the draft. a former mayor, who was a convicted felon An individual who commits a crime of a serious nature, such as Burglary or murder. A person who commits a felony. felon n. a person who has been convicted of a felony, which is a crime punishable by death or a term in state or federal prison. . Landauer was concerned the letter writer didn't have all the facts. A news-side story reporting the council's decision to name a park after the former mayor had left out the impetus Impetus is a stimulus or impulse, a moving force that sparks momentum. Impetus may also refer to:
The former mayor, who served time under house arrest for his role in a bank fraud scheme, had apparently redeemed re·deem tr.v. re·deemed, re·deem·ing, re·deems 1. To recover ownership of by paying a specified sum. 2. To pay off (a promissory note, for example). 3. himself with community leaders with much volunteer work and behind-the-scenes influence. Landauer posted a query to the NCEW NCEW National Conference of Editorial Writers listserv asking for advice. Many of the responses urged the letter to be published immediately with no concern about the man's condition. But at the News, the concern was not so much about the man's condition but the obligation to the letter writer. "Our main concern was the letter writer didn't have all the information," Landauer said. "We felt it was appropriate to let her know the whole situation." So Landauer gave her a call and shared what hadn't been in the newspaper. If she had wanted the letter published, he says it would have been published. But the facts changed her view. She said she appreciated the call and wanted to think about it, perhaps to revise the letter and send it back. Within a few days, President Bush pardoned the former mayor shortly before his death. Soon a letter turned up at Landauer's office. "I was going to comment about the two articles I read on Feb. 7 about David McCall Jr.," V. Sturm began her letter. "Then I heard about Mr. McCall being gravely ill, so I thought, let it pass. But after hearing that President George W. Bush has pardoned Mr. McCall ... what a slap in the face Henry Ate released Slap in the Face in 1997. Track listing
Landauer feels comfortable about the way the situation was handled. "It turned out to be a really good letter, and it was even more informed," he said. |
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