Not surprisingly, we received a handful of calls and e-mails this morning chastising the Gazette for lack of taste, timing and heart regarding our report on Mayor Bill Rauch being investigated by the State Ethics Commission while he's recovering in ICU from some very serious injuries sustained in a car accident last week.
Some of the readers were disappointed that we ran the story, and they maintained that we should have waited until his full recovery before reporting the news. One caller asked for Jan. 3.
This isn't the first time we've received complaints over the perceived "poor timing" of a story. It's a part of life working at a newspaper. Most of the time it includes a victim of a crime or some unfortunate circumstance.
Truly, when the news of the investigation hit my desk, I thought, "Man, that's rough." I thought, for a few good moments, that this would ruffle some feathers in the morning. And it upset me. Do you honestly think we want to add insult to injury to anyone? Heavens, no.
But as quickly as that notion occured, it was substituted by the ethics of this job: We simply don't have the choice of withholding information from our readers without risking our reputation as fair and timely.
It's like this: What are you paying for when you buy the newspaper? Because if it's for the truth, which is what we're selling, then why bother if you can't count on us for the truth?
If we withhold information on a sensitive topic, how do you know what else we're withholding?
I'm pretty sure that this report is proof that we treat everyone the same, despite unfortunate circumstances.
Am I asking you to trust me? In a way, sure I am. Because that's what a newspaper does. You don't believe it, why bother reading it? That goes for every mainstream newspaper. You might not agree with it, but we're not hiding information from the reader. Ever.
Newspapering isn't solely about entertainment or being selective about what we inform people of; it's about telling you what is happening in our community.
I was relieved, in a sense, that the Beaufort City Council released the information, and that we didn't have to muck-rake it. Although, had we known about it sooner, we would have. Not because we wanted to; because that's our ethical obligation.
I applaud the council members for having the nerve and good sense to release the information, despite its sensitive timing.
That must have been a hard decision.
Then again, maybe it wasn't. The city vows that good government is a transparent government and not one that hides information from the public.
We've fought some very long and expensive battles to ensure openness in government. We're not about to play favorites or be selective in our reporting.
Not now, not ever. Trust us.
ck

CK Passante
Managing Editor
The Beaufort Gazette