Readers deserve better than one-sided journalism
Courier-Islander, Wednesday, July 07, 2010
To Neil Cameron, Editor.
Are you the editor of an honest newspaper...one that provides all the facts to its readers?
Or are you the editor of an anti-salmon farming propaganda sheet?
I have good reason to suspect the latter.
I ask this question, knowing that real newspapers do take a stand on controversial issues. Their owners/publishers have the right to do so. The National Post, the Globe and Mail, Vancouver Sun and Province do it all the time. Readers who feel strongly about such topics can, and do write their opinions to those newspapers. The readers get their chance to agree or disagree in their letters to the editor.
But none of those papers would have pulled off the stunt that is acceptable to you.
I'm referring to the brief reference in you paper (June 29/10) to the column written by Terrence Corcoran of the National Post about the state of salmon farming off the BC Coast. Neither the whole column nor even a precis of Corcoran's opinions were printed in your paper.
However, you did print a long detailed letter of condemnation of Corcoran's views, which most of your readers never saw. That letter put together by Dr. Brian Riddell and Alexandra Morton was headed "Setting it Straight". You made that assumption. But is it the scientifically correct one?
Do you really believe that publishing one side an of an issue is fair, balanced and unbiased journalism? Does printing one side, and one side only on such a controversial issue help your readers understand BOTH points of view?
Isn't that the duty of a real newspaper? With this single act, you have ignored the tenants of honest journalism.
Your readers deserve much better.
Stuart Morrison,
Kelowna BC
