It is astounding what changes can take place in a two-week period.
That certainly was true for me when I was suddenly, and unexpectedly gone that long from the Recorder and Franklin County because of emergency medical treatment. That’s all I care to say about that personal experience, except that literally overnight the newspaper’s editors — Shelby Ashline, Chris Harris and Andy Castillo — had to assume all of my work and responsibilities on top of their own.
I am grateful how the team pulled through, especially given the amount of local news that was expected with graduations adjusted to accommodate the pandemic as well as continued local coverage of COVID-19 and its impact on the economy.
And then George Floyd Jr. was killed May 25 during an arrest in Minneapolis, sparking demonstrations nationwide protesting our nation’s long history of racism and in particular, incidents of police brutality.
It was not surprising this issue sparked a strong response from our caring and involved community with demonstrations in Greenfield, Shelburne Falls, Ashfield and Northfield. I am certain the reaction to Floyd’s death — as well as others — was the focus of intense discussion in private settings as well.
Our five-member reporting staff did its best to keep up with the local news, something that has drawn praise from readers. Check out Monday’s coverage as an example of the heavy load two reporters, Max Marcus and Mary Byrne, undertook last weekend.
But then two mistakes regarding a headline on an online story and a photo caption on a Facebook post drew complaints in social media from readers who said they were misleading and/or offensive.
The headline concerned a story about a bus driver who was arrested on numerous charges, including three counts of assault with intent to murder, after he allegedly veered the bus he was driving and crashed, nearly hitting a man and two boys who had been his passengers, who police identified as being black, plus a bystander. The caption was for a photo taken at a Saturday protest.
In regards to the story, the headline was changed for accuracy’s sake. The photo on the Recorder’s Facebook page was replaced with a video.
Writing headlines is a challenging part of reporting the news. I suggest trying to accurately summarize an article of several hundred words in say six to seven words that draws readers’ attention. On deadline. The same could be said for photo captions.
I want to emphasize the mistakes a newspaper, including the Recorder, makes in its coverage are public mistakes. And we own up to our mistakes. We also correct them. It is part of responsible journalism.
Certainly, those steps were taken.
And at times, like with this piece, an explanation may be in order.
What news will the next few months bring us? Could there be a surge in COVID-19 cases as restrictions are eased? Locally, our communities must contend with budgets and other business. Of course, we have national and state elections ahead.
Regardless, we at the Recorder will do our best to report the news accurately, fairly and objectively. That is our standard, and is always our goal. Thank you.