Oops, I did it again
The truth will set you free, but first it will p*ss you off, a phrase that has been going through my mind all morning. I’ve, once again, upset people with the truth.
While I will never reply to Facebook posts, I do make the occasional exception to defend myself in a column when comments go way too far or without cause, attack my journalistic integrity. This is one of those times.
I attended a Legislative Committee meeting that was mandatory for new county commissioners. Despite two verbal reminders about an upcoming mandatory Legislative Committee meeting for new county commissioners made during Warren County Legislative Sessions, an email from the county executive’s office to all commissioners on Oct. 8 about the Legislative Committee (when and where), and yours truly put in community calendar on Friday, Oct. 9, three of the four new commissioners were not in attendance and someone on Facebook wants to paint me as the bad guy.
She stated, “So, did the news outlet ever try to contact these “no shows”?”
My reply: No, I did not. That’s not my job. My job is to keep an eye on elected officials and report to the community what they are doing. I’m there to listen, watch and report. That’s it. I have not and will never call an elected official and ask why they didn’t attend. I note it and move on. In this case, the whole meeting was an orientation for new members. Without them, the meeting was postponed. I noted that, as well. Because it was mandatory that they attend, I wrote an article.
She continued, “I know these men. I worked to get all three elected. All three are dedicated to their new roles and have been diligent to listen and learn all they can about running for office and holding that office.”
My reply: Listening? It was announced verbally twice.
“Does anyone fine it ironic that all three missed the same meeting? Could that point to some type of miscommunication or human error?
My reply: No, this was not miscommunication. Maybe listening issues and new commissioners who need to click on every email sent to them by the county executive’s office regarding every committee meeting and not just the ones in which they are a member. I might agree with human error, but the fault belongs to those commissioners. Not the Legislative Committee members, not the county executive’s office, and not mine.
“Or, perhaps the most reasonable explanation that this article would likely imply, is that everyone who runs for and is elected to public office must be corrupt, lazy or whatever other assumptions they’d like for the readers to make.”
My reply: That article implied nothing. It stated only facts and comments from the chairman. It was an accurate depiction of what occurred at that meeting. Period. I did not slant it in any way. I did not spoon feed the reader any assumptions whatsoever. Those words are yours and not mine.
Her parting sentence sealed my writing of this column:
“A little journalist integrity would go a long way.”
My reply: So, it’s blame the media time. I held these commissioners accountable for missing a mandatory meeting. That’s my job. Journalist integrity is a commitment to truth, accuracy, fairness and accountability, forming the foundation of credible and trustworthy journalist. When it comes to government, the media is a crucial watchdog, monitoring elected officials’ actions, exposing wrongdoing, and ensuring accountability.
I deemed this as a learning curve for new commissioners. They need to know what’s going on in all committee meetings. So, listen during your meetings and click on the links sent to you by the county executive’s office about the other meetings. You’ll do fine. As for this situation, own it. Take responsibility for it. Don’t blame others.