We were surprised this week by the mayhem that occurred after the newspaper came out last week. Mostly because it wasn’t the mayhem that we had anticipated.
We ran an article that came from our editor’s coverage of a Baudette City Council meeting on January 11.
The article was regarding the sale of adult magazines at the local Holiday Stationstore. It is the only location in town where literature of that nature is sold, and the local ministerium was at the city council meeting asking the council to ban the sale of such materials within the city limits.
On hand were Father Don Braukman from Sacred Heart Catholic Church and Jim and Sue Jochim from Lighthouse Ministries. They were representing the ministerium.
Our article started with a history of the issue, beginning with Braukman’s single handed try to ask the station manager to remove the magazines, and when corporate offices said the magazines would stay, then Braukman enlisted the help of the ministerium.
We expected to hear about the First Amendment right to freedom of speech and that adults have the right to purchase a legal publication.
Instead, we caught flak about naming the manager of the stationstore. Let us point out that the information was factual and accurate. We did not indicate one way or another how the manager felt about the magazines or imply anything about him doing anything right or wrong.
The manager’s name was brought up at the meeting where any person in attendance would have heard it. Besides that, in a small town most people can figure it out anyway. Even without naming the manager in this editorial, enough people will know who it is.
Our point is that a person’s name is not private or protected, as the complaints have implied. Furthermore, it is logistically impossible to notify every person whose name is in our paper every week that they will see their name in print.
We understand that it might have been a shock to the manager and that is why the reaction was so fierce.
We think the real issue is being lost here. The article was not about the manager, but about the city council’s support or non-support of the magazine sales.
If that is something you feel strongly about, let us know by writing a letter to the editor or commenting or blogging on our website at www.baudetteregion.com. This page, unlike our news coverage, is set aside for our and your opinions. Please share them.