Show lets let's all be impartial i Reporting a controversial subject objectively in a an i attempt to be impartial is not really a difficult matter I A careful reporting of facts however using quotes from participants in the news event to more clearly describe the action almost always brings comments from some eom who feel they were unfairly dealt with The time has long since passed when we have serious misgivings on the manner in which we cover local news happenings on the front page of this newspaper We are an confident in our own minds that we do dOlt it objectively W We consider many more important aspects of news dissemination dissemination nation than merely newsstand sales We realize that in ina ina ina a community this size there is much that is better left lef unsaid unsaid and and for that reason will not take part in the in increasingly increasingly in in- popular sport of reporting such sensational items as a. names of runaway run children apprehended a few fW blocks from home thereby causing undue embarrassment to parents and friends There are ar exceptions The prime example surrounds the reporting of news pertaining to the expenditure of funds by bodies elected by the taxpayers and rt residents of this community That was the spirit in which last weeks week's meeting of SOME retail merchants with the mayor and a city councilman was reported And we Wf have no misgivings The meeting was a regular meeting of that commit commit- tee It was open to the public The affairs that were conducted con con- ducted there were of public Interest and we felt that a fair reporting of the event was in order That was why the story received as one radio colleague stated on a n local news broadcast featured lead position We have not yet criticized the police department nt That does not mean we might not in the future We did not criticize the mayor and city council That does not mean we might not In m the future We did not vo IU advocate ate a shaking reorganization of the police department That does not mean we might not in the future Our story tory was was a playback of the attitude that existed at the meeting meet meet- ing lug and we used quotes to outline the more Important statements There was no attempt to muddle the issue with generalizations brought out in favor of or against Moab's Mesh's police department It seems that a considerable number of people art are concerned about the return they are getting from tax monies invested in public safety in Moab This was evidenced evi evl first by the calling of such uch a meeting and secondly sec sec- secondly by the number of telephone calls this newspaper has received this past week It is very ery easy for a councilman to say if you dont don't like Jike it you do it I 1 It is also easy for the council and the department to say that all the problems could be solved with a larger budget budget hut but this thank goodness Is not always the case It was as once said that no highway was ever built that did not benefit some people more than others Thio his is quite Clune true tree in Jn reporting In our endeavors however we J hope op sincerely that if it someone has haa hurt feelings over the manner In which we report the news that it will be oily the truth that hurt hurts The The Editor |