Commentary by John Tucker
It wasn’t too long ago that a controversial or well-written opinion piece in the newspaper would instigate a handful of letters to the editor – if you were lucky.
I can remember typing out a commentary on a topic I cared about and hoping that I would stimulate some conversation from the readers.
When I would write something that didn’t elicit a response from the reader (either agreeing or disagreeing), it really disappointed me. The times it did happen, I wondered why I hadn’t connected with any readers. Was I the only one with an opinion on the topic?
Connectivity is no longer a problem these days. With the coming of the Internet and the age of instant information and people networking, it’s hard not to get someone to comment about what you are writing.
Whether it is a traditional letter to the editor, an e-mail or a comment posted on our web site, everything seems to be scrutinized and remarked on by a reader. We now get more feedback on nearly everything.
Sometimes the reader writes to tell us we’ve misspelled a word or used poor grammar. Sometimes they write to give us more information or a tip about a story we wrote. Other times they write to tell us we’re full of you know what (particularly about opinion pieces like this one).
Such has been the case for my opinion piece I did on Gov. Nixon’s statement that he was going to “clean up the lake.”
My take on the governor’s stand was that he was grandstanding and trying to deviate attention from his problems with the DNR. I went on further to state in that column and in a subsequent one that the lake is a lake and if you’re looking for clean and safe water – grab a bottled water or dive in the city pool.
Somehow, some of our readers who sit more on the left of the aisle took these statements as proof of me and/or the newspaper being biased against the Democrats. The thought I guess being that because Gov. Nixon is a Democrat, we are automatically going to condemn any action that he may take.
Sadly, with the major media outlets battling it out for who’s more biased to the left or right, local media like ourselves are stereotyped as being biased toward a political party as well. That simply isn’t true.
Don’t get me wrong – we are biased, (everyone is) but I just don’t feel we’re biased more toward one party or the other. We try to stay clear of national politics – plenty of people are covering that circus. They don’t need any more clowns.
Our bias is that we are “pro-lake.” While we will not turn away from negative stories about our home, we are not going to criticize in a manner that isn’t constructive. The governor and his actions are a good example of this.
The governor made the proclamation that he was going to clean up the lake and that it was no longer safe (the announcement came with such grandeur that I felt it overstated the problem and hurt our reputation).
He also made the statement that tourism at the state parks was a priority – while two weeks later cutting 100-plus parks department jobs from the Department of Natural Resources (who are responsible for testing for the E. coli). From my vantage point, none of his recent actions have been “pro-lake.”
So that is why I argued against the governor’s handling of the situation and later attempted to point out why the lake still should be considered “safe.”
Some readers will and should question if our opinion really is what’s best for the lake’s current needs and it’s future. Are we, as a newspaper, putting enough of a spotlight on environmental issues that are endangering the lake? Do we give the lake a bad name by putting too much crime activity on our front pages? Have we pushed development or tourism too much or too little?
These are questions that the readers should ask themselves and us. Interaction with our readers is what keeps us on our toes, educates us and makes us better. Good constructive conversation can only lead to good decisions.
So keep the letters, e-mails and comments coming. We appreciate it greatly.
Contact Lake Media publisher John Tucker atjohn.tucker@lakesunonlone.com
