Editor’s note: The article referenced in this letter, “North Shore mother injured by Republic driver replacement,” was a press release submitted for publication in the Peabody Weekly News. It was not written by our newsroom staff.
To the editor:
The article titled “North shore mother injured by Republic driver replacement” on page A2 of this week’s issue of the Peabody Weekly News gave me serious concerns regarding the journalistic objectivity of your publication.
- First, a “32-year-old” is hardly a “young woman.”
- Second, in describing the situation regarding the baby not being in the car at the time of the accident, was it necessary to use “incredibly fortunate” to explain the scenario? And did I need to know that the driver was shopping at Costco?
- Third, the input from Ms. Kontos took the story beyond “news reporting.” Her opinion regarding the strike had nothing to do with the “news” story of the accident. The rest of the story had nothing to do with the accident, but was Ms. Kontos’ views of the strike. Her involvement with the teachers’ union immediately disqualified her as an objective commentator on the situation. Her comments, some of which verged on hearsay, had absolutely no place in this “new” article.
- Fourth, throughout the piece, I read adjectives that I found highly inflammatory. To wit: “unsafe driving,” untrained scab drivers, “inexperienced replacement drivers,” and poorly trained, out-of-state scab drivers. You offered no evidence that these are, in fact, true. And the repeated use of the word “scab” is pejorative at best…I once worked for a very wise gentleman (a lawyer) who advised keeping adjectives out of any kind of business writing. I suggest you consider this advice.
I was totally offended by this “news” article. This was an unfortunate accident that happened, and should be reported as such. However, your reportage belongs on the OP-ED page, not the news. Your own “Editorial Practices” states that you strive to “ensure a clear separation of news articles from opinion content.” This article seems to be directly contrary to this policy.
On another matter, I have noticed that since the change in format of your “news” paper, its content seems to be mostly reprints of press releases and activity lists from various organizations. Where is coverage of Peabody city government? Where is original journalism?
As a result, I am cancelling my subscription and requesting a pro-rated refund of my recent renewal payment.
Sincerely,
Anne V. Quinn
