Two different approaches on mayor’s story

After I watched “Frontline”, I felt sad. The Spokesman Review not only destroyed the mayor’s political career, but also his personal life. As a person who grew up in a conservative culture, and a student majoring in psychology, I understand the mayor’s struggle for his sexual orientation and the deep pain in his soul. I totally agree with professor Herrin’s opinion, that the mayor’s double life was a good story, but the newspaper took the wrong approach.
One of the problems is that the newspaper had two pre-conceived agendas: first, the editors and journalists did not like the mayor, so they wanted to get him out of office; second, they believed that this sensational story would greatly enhance their newspaper’s popularity. So, they just went on without seriously considering the ethical issues. The editors and journalists seemed to be taking a liberal stance, because they supported the rights for homosexuals. But, they used the conservative community’s antipathy toward homosexuals to fulfill their agendas. This indecent crusade not only jeopardized the mayor, but also hurt local gays and the community as a whole. Even though the newspaper could not get enough evidence to prove that the mayor either molested children or abused his power, they continued publishing articles to humiliate him. They worked more on “assertion” than “verification”. This is an example of arrogance, unfairness and lack of responsibility on the media’s part.
But, it doesn’t mean that the newspaper should not cover the mayor’s story at all. I think the best approach would have been telling the mayor that they already knew he accessed “gay.com” and asked him if he could give an open, in-depth interview. During the interview, they could have asked the mayor about his personal life, political career and spiritual struggle. They could have asked him why he did not “come out of the closet”, or why he voted against homosexuals working in public schools, etc. This kind of approach would help public figures, not only mayor Jim West, but also Senator Strom Thurmond and Gary Hart, etc., to live a more honest, integrated life. It would also help the media maintain the kind of respect it should always strive for.

Annie