When we broke the story Saturday about a write-in campaign to unseat Clinton Mayor Lew Starling and replace him with current City Councilman Daniel Ruggles, we knew it would get people talking.
What we did not expect, however, is the backlash on social media with numerous Facebook users questioning our journalistic integrity, calling out a perceived bias and even telling others to cancel their subscriptions and no longer purchase The Independent from racks.
We realize not many people went to journalism school, and do not understand the ins and outs of the newspaper business. However, it should be clear that journalists report the facts, only sharing their personal opinions in editorials or columns. A front-page news story should never show bias. And we don’t believe that it did. Perhaps some see our wording of the headline, “Secret campaign under way,” as biased toward Starling. We assure you it is not.
The word “secret” means that something is not known to others, implying that only a select few citizens were aware of this campaign. From what we were able to determine, it was, in fact, a secret write-in campaign, with no advertising, no press releases, no public acknowledgement of a campaign. The secrecy was made even more clear when The Independent contacted the one person we knew for sure was publicly supporting Ruggles’ campaign, former City Planner Mary Rose, only to have her refuse to make a statement and decline to share why she was campaigning for Ruggles.
If the folks behind the “grassroots group” wanted to share their reasons for supporting Ruggles, why didn’t they? We would’ve been more than happy to publish them in the article. We would actually prefer that they had acknowledged what they were trying to do, rather than being sneaky about it.
In fact, this isn’t the first time we’ve shed light on such a campaign. Just over a year ago, a similar last-minute write-in push took place when a firefighter in the southern end of the county took on Sampson County Commissioner Lethia Lee. The difference, when contacted, Foy Jenkins acknowledged the campaign was under way, though he never clearly pointed out who, besides himself, was behind its efforts.
We aren’t, nor have we ever been, against a write-in effort. As evidenced by our Oct. 21 editorial, we actually encourage everyone to research all candidates, including write-ins. It’s the underlying secretiveness behind it that disturbs us — a campaign in the shadows intent as a surprise victory that doesn’t give every resident a chance to weigh in. And, if it wasn’t secret, why didn’t anyone own it, try to garner public support for it? The problem is that when the folks behind this write-in campaign to elect Ruggles mayor were contacted, they did not want to discuss it or use their names although the text message clearly says “call for questions.”
And, that is what makes it front-page news.
We were not attacking Rose, nor were we “outing her,” as some people have claimed on social media. We merely reported the facts — a text message was sent from her phone number in support of the “grassroots” write-in campaign and she also posted on her Facebook page that she was supporting Ruggles and stated her reasons for that decision, though she declined to share that with the Independent.
We did point out that she does not reside in the city of Clinton, which is also a fact.
Our job as a newspaper is to inform the public of what’s going on in their community, give them all the information, and let them make up their own minds.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and has the right to express it. But before yelling bias, look up the word, then read the story again objectively — all sides were represented and given the opportunity to say whatever they wanted. We cannot help what they did or didn’t say.
The right to vote is a precious one, as is the freedom of the press. We do not begrudge anyone for voting with their conscience, voting with their heart and voting how they see fit. Whether you wish to see a change in local leadership or would prefer that it stay as is, be sure to vote early before 3 p.m. Saturday, or vote on Election Day next Tuesday.