An article we published by the journalists at the non-profit media group Oklahoma Watch in the June 9 issue of the Newcastle Pacer drew some heavy criticism. The report, which appeared on page 4, outlined several Republican office seekers who have supported the idea continually promoted by former President Donald Trump of a stolen election. We felt the article, which came out in Newcastle on Thursday, was particularly timely with the beginnings of the Jan. 6 hearing later that evening, which has as its focus the attack on the U.S. Capitol. After publication we received a phone call from a Newcastle resident who said the article was a “hatchet job” on Republicans. He was very adamant about his opinion, and felt the article was unfair. While the focus for this particular article was on Republican candidates, its gist was on a topic which will continue to be in the public’s interest as the hearings continue in Washington D.C. As we hear about incidents leading up to the January 6 attack on the Capitol, it is more important than ever that the facts that have been gathered are presented to the public, and media reports on these events are accurately portrayed. This is not the time to listen to opinionated talking heads of one party or the other. Instead it is a time to find ethical, accurate reports. We would suggest reading the stories authored by writers with the Associated Press. Because of the events of January 6, many of the world’s countries and leaders see the U.S. as a weaker nation, which has not only downplayed the ability of the U.S. to show strength, but also it has downplayed the importance of Democracy and freedom. The facts are that there are lies being told by a world leader, and partially because of these lies there was a disgraceful attack on our capitol when six people lost their lives. This attack was caused by our own people on our own land. There is no other time more important in our history than what takes place in the coming weeks. Are we going to document history and learn from it, or are we going to frame historical events to our political beliefs, and live in a constant state of confirmation bias to the destruction of Democracy as we know it?
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