STORY OVER-REPORTED

I read with concern the Nov. 8 and 9 Record Eagle articles, "Judge goes on
leave for smoking joint at concert/Judge admits smoking pot at concert"; and
"Gilbert's status as indefinite as his leave/Status of pot-smoking judge
uncertain." I would not be surprised to see an editorial on this same
subject in the near future, as well as a number of follow-up articles until
everyone within a hundred miles of Traverse City knows that Judge Gilbert
took two drags from a marijuana cigarette at a Rolling Stones concert.

The public probably has a legitimate need to know that Judge Gilbert has
taken a voluntary leave from his duties and it could even be argued that the
circumstances surrounding that leave should be reported. But, that need to
know could easily have been accomplished with one article, preferably on
page two. I do not believe it was necessary to run two front-page stories,
in bold type, with a photo and inflammatory headlines, such as "pot-smoking
judge."

It has become increasingly common for the Record-Eagle to headline and
subsequently over-report any local news story that smells like a public
scandal. In a small community such as ours, this kind of reporting is
especially intrusive, hurtful and debilitating. It targets the accused as
well as the convicted, the innocent as well as the guilty and substantially
aggravates a sense of public humiliation for all involved. At some point it
ceases to be reporting and becomes sensationalism.

We all want to know what is happening in our community and our world and the
newspaper serves that function. Let us be sure that in serving that
function, the choices and decisions of our newspaper are tempered with a
sense of common decency, respect for the individual and compassion for those
thrust into the limelight.

Katharine Douglass

Traverse City