Be accountable for what you write
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We made a mistake. There, I said it. In last week’s Valley Journal we ran an incendiary letter to the editor attacking Lake County Sheriff candidate Jay Doyle with a fake name signed at the bottom.
Maybe it was naiveté and trustworthiness on our part, where we didn’t think we had to check the validity of the name. Maybe it was a simple oversight. Or maybe it was just a time-crunch issue. It doesn’t matter. The simple fact of the matter is that we didn’t do our job and all we can do is admit that we were wrong and make sure this doesn’t happen again.
Hopefully, we have earned your trust through six years of serving the community and you can let this one slip. If not, hopefully we’ll be able to win back your trust, through stricter fact-checking in the future.
It’s no fun to admit you are wrong. Both times I’ve had to do it I hated every moment of it. Like all kids, the first thing I do is try to blame other people for my mistake. But eventually, I reign in my inner 8-year-old and accept the blame. At first there’s some embarrassment and then I have to swallow my pride, which with my ego is a full course meal, but eventually I accept responsibility for my act, because that’s what adults do.
I think if you are going to question somebody publicly, you should also accept responsibility for your actions and sign your name – your real name to the letter. What Bob Rew – not his real name – did by not signing his real name, was more than just dishonest it was gutless. Reminding me of how my little brother would hit my brothers or me and then run and hide behind my parents to escape all repercussions for his act.
By writing the letter and then hiding behind a fake name, Bob Rew –– not his real name – didn’t want to face the consequences of his actions. If it was fear of repercussions from the sheriffs department, then he should have told us and let us decide if we would run the letter.
But if you feel strongly enough to write a letter, you should also feel strongly enough to sign your name to it. By signing a fake name, Bob Rew’s argument loses all credibility.
We require names at the bottom of letters, so that people accept responsibility for what they write. With anonymity there are no consequences. Recently newspapers have started blogs, thinking that this would open up some lively and interesting dialogue between their readers. Most newspapers have stopped these blogs by now, because. with only their screen name to identify the readers , the readers were free to write whatever they wanted and the blogs just became free-for-all attack zones.
I believe firmly enough in what I just wrote. Enough that not only am I going to sign my name – real name – I’m hoping they also put my picture on it, so everybody has no doubt who wrote it.
