South Lyon Herald - You Just Never Know, Continued!

Well, I appeared in a story on the front page of the Detroit Free Press on Tuesday, and on the front page of the South Lyon Herald on Thursday - along with a bystander, my daughter Gina.

Apparently some people, that have nothing better to do with their time but create conspiracy theories, decided that Salem Township Clerk David Trent went out in the street and started handing out ballots (which, sadly, is NOT the most absurd thing I've heard in this election). Do I need to say now that that's not true? But please, don't believe me - take a look for yourself...(click to view full size)

I'm wondering, when these people look under the bed do they see dust bunnies, or Russian spies?

In any case, the plot thickens....remember the story of Chicken Little? When Chicken Little gets hit on the head by a "ballot" falling out of the sky, it just ain't news until Chicken Little runs off and tells Henny Penny all about it. In our story, Henny Penny is the editor of a small town newspaper.

Well our little Henny Penny is so excited by this piece of "news" from Chicken Little that he rushes out and publishes a story on the front page reporting this fact: "one of those that received a ballot without submitting an application was Gina Roperti, the supervisor's daughter." Henny Penny forgot to mention that when he spoke to David Trent, that David told him that all the applications were right in his hand and running through the copy machine for Mr. Penny to pick up. Hmmm. But somehow, the story ran as fact anyway.

Do you think there'll be a retraction and apology on the front page next week?

Oddly, there was enough lead time on this story that Henny was able to spread the story to others, and quote their reaction. He contacted Turkey Lurkey with the State, and Goosey Loosey with the County, he was so excited just thinking about these ballots falling from the sky that he completely forgot about the facts... maybe when "Foxy Loxy" reminds Mr. Penny of how far afield he has roamed from his employer's Principles of Ethical Conduct, he'll think twice before printing known and unsubstantiated fantasies.

In light of what I just read reported as "news", I am amazed looking at these Principles of Ethical Conduct. The story was written with complete and utter disregard for his employer and his profession.  Mr. Penny smears me, my daughter, and David Trent, all while knowing what he is writing is not the truth, in an attempt to influence an election. FOR SHAME!

Principles of ethical conduct

As a Gannett newspaper, the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers, Mirror Newspapers and Hometown Weeklies is a leader in the company's bold initiative to build credibility with readers. At a time when the news media are under greater scrutiny than ever, the Gannett Newspaper Division has adopted Principles of Ethical Conduct for Newsrooms that commit each Gannett journalist to the industry's highest professional standards. That commitment also is being shared with the public. Here are details about the principles and how they should be practiced.

WE ARE COMMITTED TO:

• Seeking and reporting the truth in a truthful way
• Serving the public interest
• Exercising fair play
• Maintaining independence
• Acting with integrity

Seeking and reporting the truth in a truthful way

• We will dedicate ourselves to reporting the news accurately, thoroughly and in context.
• We will be honest in the way we gather, report and present news.
• We will be persistent in the pursuit of the whole story.
• We will keep our word.
• We will hold factual information in opinion columns and editorials to the same standards of accuracy as news stories.
• We will seek to gain sufficient understanding of the communities, individuals and stories we cover to provide an informed account of activities.

Serving the public interest

• We will uphold First Amendment principles to serve the democratic process.
• We will be vigilant watchdogs of government and institutions that affect the public.
• We will provide the news and information that people need to function as effective citizens.
• We will seek solutions as well as expose problems and wrongdoing.
• We will provide a public forum for diverse people and views.
• We will reflect and encourage understanding of the diverse segments of our community.
• We will provide editorial and community leadership.
• We will seek to promote understanding of complex issues.

Exercising fair play

• We will treat people with dignity, respect and compassion.
• We will correct errors promptly.
• We will strive to include all sides relevant to a story and not take sides in news coverage.
• We will explain to readers our journalistic processes.
• We will give particular attention to fairness in relations with people unaccustomed to dealing with the press.
• We will use unnamed sources as the sole basis for published information only as a last resort and under specific procedures that best serve the public's right to know.
• We will be accessible to readers.

Maintaining independence

• We will remain free of outside interests, investments or business relationships that may compromise the credibility of our news report.
• We will maintain an impartial, arm's length relationship with anyone seeking to influence the news.
• We will avoid potential conflicts of interest and eliminate inappropriate influence on content.
• We will be free of improper obligations to news sources, newsmakers and advertisers.
• We will differentiate advertising from news.

Acting with integrity

• We will act honorably and ethically in dealing with news sources, the public and our colleagues.
• We will obey the law.
• We will observe common standards of decency.
• We will take responsibility for our decisions and consider the possible consequences of our actions.
• We will be conscientious in observing these Principles.
• We will always try to do the right thing.

Note:

No statement of principles and procedures can envision every circumstance that may be faced in the course of covering the news. As in the United States Constitution, fundamental principles sometimes conflict. Careful judgment and common sense must be applied to make the decisions that best serve the public interest and result in the greatest good.

To help protect these Principles, practices have been drafted to address such subjects as unnamed sources, correcting errors and other issues. These guidelines have been distributed within the newsroom and are available upon request.

This newspaper and its news professionals are committed to observing the highest standards of journalism, as expressed by these Principles.

We invite public comment and questions. Use our Feedback Form or send comments and questions to:

the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers, Mirror Newspapers and Hometown Weeklies

Suburban Detroit, MI  

Comments

[Fred Roperti]

Hi KSR -

Thanks for your comments - I appreciate hearing from people that can think and reason, not just react and attack. I didn't make the point in the post, but "Foxy Loxy" was the character that ate up all the other chickens; I heard they were delicious!

[KSR]

Hope you take some legal action against the Herald. The Editor has crossed the line - he prints letter after letter of lies and now an article full of lies - guess he lacks integrity! Make him pay for this outrage!! He needs to be exposed - it's not his place to slant elections in any community.