By Jason Sethre
Publisher
Fillmore County Journal
jason@fillmorecountyjournal.com
The Fillmore County Journal is a member of the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors, which includes newspaper industry professionals from all over the world. This often includes university professors of journalism, as well. So, quite a cross section of thoughts.
As a member, we ask questions and share ideas as decisions and circumstances arise in our business. It’s a great sounding board.
A recent thread prompted quite a few responses.
The questions related to what should be allowed for publication during the political season leading up to an election. The newspaper publisher asking questions referred to an ad full of claims against an opposing candidate that were based on speculation if that candidate were to get elected.
Here’s the question that sparked the conversation: “We are in the depths of the political ad season. We’ve received the attached full page ad. It challenges my ethics as far as its outrageous and incendiary content. Is there a line we have for not publishing an ad?”
Opinions came out of the woodwork.
Below are some e-mail responses from this thread.
“I firmly believe in free expression. Limiting expression — even hateful, false, outrageous or incendiary expression — isn’t the answer. That just drives opinions into the shadows, where they fester. The best answer to abusive expression is more expression. Run the ad — and an editorial or even news story exposing its factual flaws. Keep the marketplace of ideas open. Bad ideas will die a natural death, and those attempting to convey them will be exposed for what they are.”
“Bottom line, you’re promoting censorship, masked by ‘ethics.’ Again, this is why a vast majority of the American public dislikes people in our profession. We are perceived as holier-than-thou elitists, whose moral code often matches our politics.”
“When did we become the “truth police?” And if we have this role, who monitors us? These are ADVERTISEMENTS … the lifeblood of our trade. More than 100 years ago, the pages of all American newspapers were filled with ads for elixirs that cured nothing. We present information. We shouldn’t screen it, unless the information is blatantly false. Perhaps it’s inaccurate to you.”
“Stirring words that should serve as a challenge for all of us. Truth police? Yes indeed. It’s a sacred mission.”
“We should not disseminate false or incorrect information. Readers can find that sort of thing on unreliable websites, Facebook, etc. They don’t need to see it in newspapers they trust.”
“It is your newspaper and your choice if it is political or any other advertisement to agree to run or decline an ad. There is still responsibility to our consumers on what ads we place in the paper. We have turned down money for classifieds if we didn’t think the product or company was in the best interest of our readers. When either party crosses an ethical line you should be able to decide to run it or not. Don’t let national politics tarnish the reputation of your newspaper as a reliable source of local information.”
My Perspective
As revealed above, even among newspaper professionals, we agree to disagree on what should be allowed in a newspaper.
Our readers are no different. There are a lot of “Monday morning quarterbacks” who express what they feel should and shouldn’t be allowed in this newspaper. They even have opinions on how it should be written.
I have encountered some people with such extreme views that I know if they were running this newspaper it would be a very left or right leaning publication.
And, that is where the challenge lies. We publish things we personally don’t agree with all the time. Most people couldn’t do that. They cannot separate their own personal beliefs from the objectivity of running a newspaper. Some people are fine with Freedom of Speech, as long as it aligns with their beliefs. Whenever there is something controversial or possibly divisive in the newspaper, we have to deal with the phone calls. And, trust me, the phone will ring when people are upset, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. This tells us that people are reading the Fillmore County Journal. What we do matters.
Anonymous says
Does that mean that the Fillmore County Journal would publish a claim that children are going to school, disappearing for a few days, then returning home, changed from a boy to a girl or from a girl to a boy? What would you say to a parent who refuses to send their child to school, fearing that the school district would change their child’s (or children’s) genders? Would that statement be allowed to stand, with no context provided or would you choose to provide clarification?
Does that mean that the Fillmore County Journal would publish a claim that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are killing and eating the people’s pets, including cats and dogs? Would you provide context or remain silent?
Is the role of the Fillmore County Journal to be something more than simply a community bulletin board where anything anyone says can be published, no matter how far such claims might depart from any semblance of commonly understood reality?
Does the Fillmore County have a policy regarding those who advocate employing violence to settle their differences with others? Many these days seem to be proposing and, in some cases, applying such “solutions.”
On another topic, since the editor of the Fillmore County Journal presumably has his finger directly on the pulse of those residing in his readership area, which seems to include many who would proudly describe themselves as MAGA types, could you please help this writer with the following dilemma?
One of my younger relatives has children who attend school, and has been struggling to answer some of the questions that their children are asking. They have a son, Eric, who is ten years of age, and a daughter, Amber, who is eight years of age. Although I’ve been around for a long time, I don’t believe that there are easy answers to these questions. Perhaps you, as editor, could provide some much needed expert guidance?
Here goes…
Eric came home from school telling his parents that a classmate, who we will call Jimmy, insisted to him that it’s perfectly acceptable for him to grab little girls in their private parts any time he feels like it. Jimmy says that his parents don’t seem to like him much, but they love a guy who’s on television a lot who claims that doing this is just fine. Jimmy said that maybe his parents would like him better if he does the same thing as that famous person who is promoting this on television. How should this parent respond to his son? Also, at what age would it be appropriate to provide these answers?
The classmate, Jimmy, also claims that anyone who isn’t white is “garbage” and should be kicked out of the country. Jimmy apparently uses some extremely demeaning racial terms, and says that his parents claim that it’s perfectly reasonable to kill people who are not like them. What would you recommend that this father say to his son about Jimmy?
The daughter, Amber, mentioned that another classmate was saying that her parents called those who died in our nation’s wars were “suckers” and “losers.” She seemed very distraught, saying that she’d always heard that his great-grandfather’s brother, John, who died fighting against Hitler during World War II, was a hero. So is John not a hero anymore? Should we no longer display his picture in our home? Was John just a “sucker” and a “loser”? If so, why do we visit his grave site on Memorial Day?
Amber also mentioned that her uncle, Larry, who is currently serving in the army, has always been one of her favorite relatives. She seemed very worried, mentioning that a couple of close friends from her class are not white and were born in a foreign country. She likes these friends and their families, who have welcomed her into their homes many times. She seemed extremely fearful, inquiring, “According to what I’m hearing on the news shows that you watch, the military may be ordered to arrest these people and lock them up in camps. Would uncle Larry take away my friends? If Larry puts them in prison, will they be close enough by that we can visit them? Might I never see them again?”
Amber also mentions that she heard on television that a politician has openly made fun of disabled people. She relates that a couple of her classmates are constantly making fun of a disabled classmate who has a birth defect and cannot walk without a pronounced limp. Her friends have encouraged her to join with them in teasing the classmate. She cannot decide what to do, because if she refuses, those girls might not want her as a friend anymore. How should he advise his Amber?
Both children have mentioned that some of their favorite books have been removed from the school library because a classmate’s parents complained about those books, asking, “Why are they deciding what I can read and not read? What makes them the experts?”
Finally, Eric mentions that one of his best friends lives in a home with two dads. Although the friend doesn’t have an adult female in his home, Eric relates that he always enjoys visiting them, because both of the dads are a lot of fun to be around. Eric added, “One of my classmates says that my friend’s dads should be run out of town. No one is going to hurt my friend or his dads, are they? That would be terrible, because they have always been very nice to me.”
This writer must admit to being at a loss as to how best to advise this adult nephew as to how to answer those questions.
I’m sure that you, as one who likely understands the minds of those who believe as those two kids’ classmates and their parents do, could provide some thoughtful and timely guidance that I can pass on to my adult nephew.
Your words of wisdom might also be welcomed by at least a few of your readers who must presumably be trying to address similar questions from their children and grandchildren.