Freedom of the press...

Gotta love it...

The Hamilton Journal-News - stellar local paper for Hamilton!, Ohio, near where I live - runs a daily column called the Community Voice. The basic premise is that the people in the community need/deserve/want an outlet to allow their voices to be heard. The reality is that the newspaper accepts mail, email, or phone calls with people's comments, and those comments are published in the column without editing or crediting. The comments are simply printed without names attached.

The strength of this is in the direct connection between "the public" and "the media". If someone has a beef, they call in, state their case, and the Journal-News prints it. Perhaps a reporter begins an investiagation, perhaps another citizen then calls to comment, perhaps a police officer reads the comment and checks the situation out.

The weakness of this is that none of the journalistic scruples or ethics are being followed. Sources are not checked, bylines are not provided for the comments, and the comments are not researched for truthfulness.

To me, this is pure comedy.

I do warn you that registration is required, but feel free to register with a fake email address. Works for me.