Rumors aren't enough

By Staff
Our opinion
There's been much conversation lately about information regarding Hartselle High School Principal Jerry Reeves. The conversation has centered around information sent to the State Ethics Department by the school board on the advice of its attorney. And while no decisions have been made, the war of words has already started.
And as it common during these situations, the media is often caught in the middle. If you cover the story, you're slinging mud. If you don't, you're part of a cover-up.
No branch of the media is perfect. Newspapers, radio and television people make mistakes and it's impossible to speak for all of them, but we, as a newspaper, do our best to cover things accurately and fairly.
Sometimes, our efforts to serve our communities mean we can't publish some things in the newspaper. While our country holds dear the principal of freedom of the press, there are laws concerning libel and it's our responsibility to abide by those laws. In other words, it's not enough to say "I know this is true," or "Someone told me," when you're referring to any situation.
A newspaper is the voice of its community – good and bad. Sometimes, that means covering stories people feel make our community look bad.
But that's what we have to do. Ignoring the unpleasant doesn't make it go away and it often takes bringing things into the light to solve the problems.
We encourage your letters, columns and comments and we promise to you we will do our best to include as many sides of all issues as possible. You can send your letters to P.O. Box 929, Hartselle, AL 35640 or mail to news@hartselleenquirer.com.