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Letter was wrong to appear
Oct 27, 2009 | 1800 views | 11 11 comments | 26 26 recommendations | email to a friend | print
A big part of my job as Editor of the Daily Journal is to act as gatekeeper of the letters to the editor.

The newspaper has had some long-standing rules, like we don’t allow the letters section to be used as a forum between an unhappy customer and a place of business. We only accept letters from people who are current or past residents of Richmond County. You can’t write a letter longer than 300 words.. Letters must be signed with a verifiable local address.

During campaign season, we also limit what can and can’t be said about a political candidate. In the past the mud-slinging has gotten way out of hand. So we pretty much adopted a policy that your Mom might enjoy. “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”

It sounds simple enough, but what if a reader writes in regard to a specific issue raised in a news story? As with any rule, there are grey areas.

I failed when it came to a letter we published on Saturday involving Jesse McQueen, a Hamlet city councilman and candidate for mayor.

It shouldn’t have been published. We will offer Mr. McQueen a chance to respond to it.

And to you, our readers, I apologize.

Peter Williams

Editor
Comments
(11)
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anonymous
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November 03, 2009
"ALLOWED" to read ????

How stupid can anybody be ? The RCDJ doesn't have a ball and chain on anybody to stop them from reading any other newspaper. ROFL

I actually ( but rarely, LOL) feel sorry for Peter and Rick ! but you know "somebody" has to take the blame. What a job !!!!
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October 30, 2009
Would this entire issue be an attempt to control the news that the people of Richmond County are allowed to read ?

Some things in Richmond County never change !
Judy B. McNeil-Long
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October 29, 2009
Hamlet citizen, just so you know, Rick Bacon said several years ago that this was a blog; And the ultimate responsibility of a news paper does lie with the publisher! But whoever or what ever, both of them should read the dern paper if they

are publishing it. It is called accepting responsibility. That is what my beef with City Hall is about to start with. People like yourself who like to shift responsibility!
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October 29, 2009
Judy, just so you know, your comments on here are not a blog, they are comments. And its the EDITOR's job to check AND EDIT what goes in the paper, not necessarily the publisher. Have a great day.
Judy McNeil-Long.
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October 29, 2009
My blog is not bs as you implied. I think the people buying this paper should know the facts and the Journal should clean up their act. After all don't they read their own paper? How can two letters be printed after the dead line and they not know it until it is called to their attention! The job description of any publisher should be to read the newspaper that he is publishing.
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October 28, 2009
Judy, you have your opinion & I have mine. That is what makes this world go 'round. If everybody agreed, it would take all the fun out of politics & elections. My head is not in the clouds, I just know a good line of BS when I smell it. I can't wait until the election is over. What will we argue about then?
Judy McNeil-Long
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October 28, 2009


One more point I want to make here. Jessie's supporters did not object to the first violation of the cut off date, Lindsey's letter. This did not go unnoticed by us but we thought that a simple mistake had been made. Give the Journal the benefit of the doubt. It was when the second letter (an inflammatory letter at that) was printed that we blew up!!!!!! It was and is still obvious that the whole Journal Staff is in La La Land, or something very fishy is going on here!
Judy McNeil Long
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October 28, 2009
I'll tell you exactly what is wrong with Cato's letter and also Lindsey's letter! McQueen supporters ask about 6 weeks ago about the criteria concerning political letters and we were given the following criteria: (We followed this criteria to the letter!)

1 ABsolutely no letters would be accepted from political candidates or their family

2 The letters could not mention any political candidate by name. It was ok to speak out against the local government and that included any person who was not a candidate for office in Nov.

3 The cut off time for all political letters would be two weeks before election Day.

I ask again about the cut off date for political letters on Monday when I took my letter to the Journal and was told by a member of the staff, that it was two weeks before Eledtion Day, which would have been the next day. I then ask if that was the cut off time for acceptance of letters or the publishing of letters. I was told the cut off time for the publishing of political letters!

Low and behold after the cut off date had passed a letter appears in the paper from Lindsey who operates a business in Hamlet that I believe does the uniforms for the Hamlet Recreational Dept. (I do not know this for a fact but that is what I am told) If this is true than her letter is a letter from someone who has a good deal to gain by supporting the powers that be!

Then Cato's letter makes an appearance! First violation of criteria: She has a family connection to the current Mayor. Second violation: The letter is published after the cut off date for publishing and Third Violation: She mentions McQueen by Name!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

McQueen's supporters have abided by every rule the Journal gave us. Then the Journal throws all the rules out of the window and prints two letters from the current political machine after cut off date!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am not mad at Rick Bacon, I am irate!!!!!!!!! If he can't follow his own set of rules then he needs to retire and let someone take over who can.

As for you Bootsy, you need to get your act together and find out what is going on in this town and county if you are going to waste blog space!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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October 27, 2009
OK, so a mistake was made. Perhaps others have been too. I don’t think I have every heard anyone said the RCDJ is perfect. I read the paper, but I don’t publish it, so I don’t make the rules. Please try to stick to the rules you make so we all can be happy. Enough said, except if printing the letter was a mistake, then why not remove it from online. By leaving it online for others to read are you not continuing to make the same mistake? Yout Call Peter.
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October 27, 2009
You have got to be kidding, right? What was so offensive about that letter? Politicians are fair game, they know that when they become elected. How many times has the president, ex presidents, governors or other politicians been butchered in the media? What about those fireman from Rockingham? What about Bruce Stanback, Marchelle David, and others who have had their character slammed in the paper? What about all the other letters to the editor that you have printed from Ron Murray, Judy Long, and others? If you make a rule then set it for all and not just one.
anonymous
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October 27, 2009
It takes a REAL man or woman to stand up and say they made a mistake and actually apoligize for it. Something RARELY seen today !

I didn't see anything wrong with the letter but I guess others did. I've seen much worse remarks made by some of the other writers and nothing was ever said/done about them.

Anyway, thank you Peter for doing what you felt was the RIGHT thing to do.

I'm GLAD I don't live in Hamlet LOL
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