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Letter to the Editor

Is this fair and square?

Martha Scoppa
Posted 1/28/22

Liberty

To the editor:

Last month I almost canceled my subscription to the Democrat. I was very unhappy with the paper’s decision to run five consecutive Counterpoint columns with …

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Letter to the Editor

Is this fair and square?

Posted

Liberty

To the editor:

Last month I almost canceled my subscription to the Democrat. I was very unhappy with the paper’s decision to run five consecutive Counterpoint columns with Robert Doherty as author.  

The paper introduced the series on December 3, 2021, with these words: “For the following four Fridays, Sullivan County Legislative Chairman Robert Doherty will talk about the State of the County from his perspective as a property owner, business owner and elected county official.”

I believe that the paper was disingenuous. In fact, the paper provided Mr. Doherty with a five-week campaign platform perfectly timed prior to the January 4th Legislative Organizational Meeting when chairman for the upcoming two years would be elected. It was stunning free public relations for Mr. Doherty. In addition, and despite fact-checking, the Democrat only once printed a clarification.

How did this five-part Counterpoint series originate? Did the paper suggest the series to Mr. Doherty and, if so, was a similar suggestion made to the other eight legislators or to other elected officials? Or did Mr. Doherty suggest the series to the paper? Either way, his Counterpoint is his opinion, just as this Letter-to-the-Editor is my opinion.

The difference is that I submit a letter only occasionally, it is limited to 300 words, and I don’t know for sure if it will be published, while Mr. Doherty submitted five columns over five weeks on many different topics containing thousands of words and his series was arranged with the paper. Is this fair and square?

Comments

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  • lhfc1563

    Now you are disgusted?

    How about the 'disgust' Kathy Werner spew out with every column of Hate toward Trump?

    She went over board with that but it's the papers printing of Doherty.

    You are misplaced in the disgust column.

    Monday, January 31, 2022 Report this

  • mrubin.rubin8

    While his position as Chairperson of the S.C. Legislature may merit as "newsworthy" the generous amount of column space that Robert Doherty has been allotted, it's more important that readers take note of his tenure. Doherty is a miserable excuse for a legislator, and so are the other cowardly GOP members who have not the guts to stand up to him, and instead have chosen to anoint him to another term. Shame on all of them.

    Marshall Rubin

    Thursday, February 3, 2022 Report this

  • lhfc1563

    Rubin, spoken like a true liberal that you are which 'the Democrat' has turned to be once again.

    I'll agree that he gets loads of more space than I do just like anyone that 'is a somebody' gets.

    Just like Meagan gets pages of her ilk too with no reprise given to anyone.

    Good to see you agree with 'shame on them', the other legislators, as they should all be replaced not just for no back bone but being the problem as well.

    Time for bad legislators to end as this happens way too often.

    Saturday, February 12, 2022 Report this