Cox letter: Adams County coverage

I have been dismayed and saddened by the Statesman coverage of the recent events in Adams County. It appears that the reporters covering the story and the editor reviewing their writing are wasting no opportunity to sensationalize and inflame. Repeated rehashing of one side of the story, allusions to guilt, implying deliberate suppression of facts, pressing for the local sheriff to reveal more and more details of an investigation in process, and the pushing for the revelation of names of the involved officers seems motivated more by voyeurism than desire to inform. In contrast, the reporter from the Adams County Record, Dale Fisk, has been reasoned and calm, seeming to want to both inform and support his community. Justice is not being served by the Statesman’s tactics. If government does not do its job, then, and only then, it is the job of journalists to bring truth to light. It is not the job of journalists to rush hysterically to some personal judgment or harm the community with unbalanced distortion.

This story was originally published December 8, 2015 at 6:02 PM with the headline "Cox letter: Adams County coverage."