Ryan Craig, the editor and publisher of the Todd County Standard - a weekly newspaper in Elkton, Kentucky, ran a story encouraging farmers to attend a very important meeting on agricultural zoning. The future of farming could be changed at this meeting but the crowd at the meeting was sparse.
The next morning at the local greasy spoon, Craig walked up to the table full of farmers and asked why they didn’t come to the meeting. Didn’t they know how important it was?
One of the farmers stopped eating his eggs, looked up and said, “We didn’t go because you said in your story that you’d be there. I had things to do and I’ll read what you’ll write in the paper and decide if I need to be mad or not.”
This story was printed by the Nieman Reports in the article “What happens when weekly newspapers disappear” as part of a series of articles entitled “Election ’20: The Role of Local News.”
As the editor and publisher of the Seeley Swan Pathfinder, we can relate to this. We believe our job is not “to get mad” Instead it is to present what happens in the community, using credible sources to tell the story. This helps our community members to be informed, become involved if they choose and “decide to be mad or not.”
The Pathfinder is not aligned with political parties, public agencies, private groups or personal agendas but we do give voice to them. We use official sources, talking to people who are in charge of the project, scene or event, to make sure the information we present is accurate. Then we report what we are told. When we quote someone, those are their words and their opinion, not the reporters.
If there is another side to an issue that applies to that article that we are aware of we attempt to pursue it. Sometimes people are willing to talk to us on the record and we can include it. Other times our conversation is off the record and can only be used to ask better questions or further understand the situation.
Our readers have a responsibility to hold our elected officials and quoted sources accountable and help them make better decisions for our communities.
Last week’s editorial “Say it like it is, the lions were killed” written by Lori Micken is a perfect example. While Micken called out the Pathfinder for using terminology to soften the reality when it was reported that FWP “dispatched” four young mountain lions in Seeley Lake, her anger and frustration was mostly directed at the source, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. She questioned their policy and asked for further explanation and called for change.
So often the anger readers have with our reporting is misplaced. Calling our office up enraged at the headline or telling us what a source was quoted saying is wrong does little to change the information if the source was quoted correctly and not taken out of context. While you may present a side of the story we didn’t consider or show us information we didn’t have when we ran the article, unless you are willing to go on the record or provide us with documents and information that we can print, we can’t run a follow up article.
As long as the reporter presented the information correctly, the best course of action for you is to call out the source of the information. Have a conversation with them face-to-face and explain why you think they are wrong. If the person represents an organization or government agency and your comments fall on deaf ears, address the board or group they represent. You can also rally support for your cause by writing a letter to the editor, calling the person’s actions or words out and providing information contrary to what was presented for out readers to consider. The Pathfinder is an excellent platform for people to use.
We work hard for our community to present the best information we can so readers can make the best decisions possible and take action when needed. If we misquote you or misrepresent you or your organization, we need to hear from you so we can run a correction or at the very least apologize.
If you read something and think it is “fake news” or we missed a side let us know. But also know that we won’t print someone’s opinion unless they are willing to put their name on it or sign their letter to the editor.
We hope to continue to be a platform for community discussion that helps our readers know what is being said, even when they aren’t there to hear it. If you are mad at what was printed because it was a lie, was the wrong decision or you don’t agree with someone’s opinion get mad, show up, call them out and set the record straight based on what you know to be true.
Our community needs to hear from you to build a better community. Help initiate the change you want to see!
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