In 1912, The Lucerne Herald was founded. It changed its name in 1915 to the Lake Worth Herald. Is the Herald now Judge, Jury and Executioner based on gossip, hearsay and politics? Some say, "yes"and some say that the city was lacking in the respect that a newspaper should be helping readers become informed by providing them with facts and statistics and staying unbiased.
Yesterday, a story about Dee McNamara, based on second-hand information, was printed on the front page of the Lake Worth Herald. It seems a city employee accused McNamara of using the N word when asked to move from the front row to the back of the chamber the night of the Swearing-In Ceremony. Easton, publisher of the Herald, didn't hear her say the N word. Is it acceptable for Mr. Easton to smear someone on the front page of his newspaper but the supposed employee who reported the incident to the city manager and city attorney stays anonymous? Is it acceptable under any circumstance? Somehow, the allegation immediately "leaked" out to the Lake Worth Herald who ran with the unsubstantiated, "he said, she said." There was no witness who over-heard the conversation. There was no audio recording of it. The subject of this hearsay, Mrs. McNamara, denies it and wanted to know who was lying. The Herald gave her no benefit of the doubt but went with the ugly one-sided story, an "epic fail."
It's easy to to ruin your enemies’ lives, end their careers and leave them utterly destitute. And all you need is a computer, a blog or a newspaper that is highly, politically charged. A newsman must get to the truth and not resort to gossip to make a story that could be proven as libel. Even The National Enquirer does in-depth research.
According to Chapter 69, The News Manual on Defamation, a professional source for journalists and the media, "Words are very powerful. Journalists use them to inform, entertain and educate their readers and listeners. Words can be used to expose faults or abuses in society and to identify people who are to blame. However, used wrongly or unwisely, they can do harm. Words can misinform the public and they can hurt people with false accusations. At one stroke words can destroy a reputation which someone has spent a lifetime building. So people must be protected from the wrongful use of words.
You can defame a person by repeating words spoken by someone else, for example an interviewee. It is no defense to claim that you were only quoting someone else. If you write something defamatory, you could be taken to court, along with your editor, your publisher and printer or your broadcasting authority, the person who said the words in the first place ... even the newspaper seller."
14 comments:
Yes, Lynn, we have seen that over and over nearly every day from the other blogger, Blackman. It makes you wonder how he has lasted so long with this slander.
Dee is a woman of color and does not consider herself white. I think it highly unlikely she would use the word nigger. As she said to me, Please let this attempt at creating a race war by a failing 3rd Rate local paper die.
Thank you.
I agree newspapers and journalists should have greater discretion. Even if she said the N word, why is that news? She's not an elected official, she doesn't sit on a board, she's not running for office, its seems petty and odd that a newspaper would report on an alleged seating dispute.
But, Dee seems like a pretty hateful person based on her Facebook posts, there is a lot of hateful language on there so perhaps she might say something like that.
Sometimes when someone has a different opinion than you do, it comes across as "hateful." Just my stand on illegal immigrants, as an example--there are some in this city who say that I am "racist," their favorite word when they disagree with me. This could be the same sort of thing,
While I have never heard her use that word specifically, it did not surprise me to hear that she used it in the fashion she did. She normally refers to "primitives" in her almost unintelligible ramblings.
Since she is a person of color, she should be allowed to use the term. It is only against freedom of speech for non-persons of color to use it.
"But, Dee seems like a pretty hateful person based on her Facebook posts, there is a lot of hateful language on there so perhaps she might say something like that."
There are a hell of a lot of people in this city that might be considered "hateful", Anon. Does that mean that they should be smeared via a second-hand comment? Was the employee lying? Where they told what to say about Ms. Macnamara in order to keep their job? Where they telling the truth? No one will ever know. And NO ONE can ever take back the words written by the editor of the Herald.I have it on very good authority that so and so is a drunk. I have it on very good authority that so and so likes under aged boys. I have it on very good authority that so and so cheats on his wife.This is now the new format and standard for reporting of the Lake Worth herald? Pitiful. Katie Mcgveron
Your comment above, at 10:26, does not address what I wrote about this newsman. NO one is defending hateful speech.
I know a guy who knows a guy who heard someone say...really? There is so little news to report on we are left w/this 'content'? Obviously the Tribune is the meat of the news in town and this 'desperate attempt' isn't worth our time to read. Dee lives life out loud and says stuff some don't like to hear - so what - get over it but even those who know Dee and love her because she is so honest find this unlike her! If she said it she'd more than likely repeat it and doesn't give a hoot what anyone thinks!
My Vote: Epic Fail for attempt to be effective! Ask Szerdi about that - he's probably knows a guy who knows a guy who can instruct you on being MORE effective and write the stuff people really want to read about.
pathetic defense of what that witch muttered lynn , katie and weetha. i think some consequences will be forthcoming. but, what would one expect from people with such limited credentials.
Look-NO NAME CALLING.
You are as bad as the Herald in what it did. No one heard the conversation. I was the 3rd person to arrive that afternoon...the McNamara's were the first. There was NO ONE IN THE ROOM. Pam Lopez said that they could sit there. I was there and heard that conversation.
I will not take any more comments that are against policy here.
Lynn, why would someone go out of their way to 'make up' a story about Dee Mc.? she is a nut and a half, which has been proven for years by her own diatribes...
She is signed, sealed and delivered, vitriolic, prejudiced, hateful, etc.
Nothing to gain by 'slandering' her - frankly I am embarrassed that she is so 'present' in our city meetings, etc
No-one I know is even a little bit surprised at her comments - and honestly who cares?
It is easy to misinterpret what some one says especially Mrs. McNamara who has an accent, etc. She said she didn't say it. That's enough for me.
AGAIN, this blog is not to personally attack Mrs. McNamara but rather to show what a newsman should NEVER DO. And, if you didn't care, why did you bother to comment?
One more thing, she hasn't attended a city commission meeting in years. This is the first one in a very long time. So, don't worry so much about one voice in our city. This "newsman" was flat wrong in what he did.
I am a person of color and have had the occasion to converse with this lady. She was very polite and respectful to my husband and myself. I do question front page news of a paper especially since she denies.
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