The Fact of The Matter has obtained the email correspondence between Olivia Gonzalez and Westfield Leader newspaper editor/owner Horace Corbin regarding the rejection of a letter to the editor.
Olivia Gonzalez submitted a Letter to the Editor on September 8th and has yet to have the submittal published by the Leader. The letter was resent to the Leader on September 19th.
Westfield Leader owner Horace Corbin responded, “Thank you. Letters to the editor are for subscribers to discuss community issues in a productive manner. Others are subjected to being rejected.”
The Westfield Leader will host the Candidates Forum in a few weeks where candidates for town council will be subjected to answering pre-determined questions in front of an audience. The forum takes place in the court chambers of the municipal building.
Last election cycle in 2017 saw a standing room only crowd in attendance at the candidates forum.
“Impartiality (also called evenhandedness or fair-mindedness) is a principle of justice holding that decisions should be based on objective criteria, rather than on the basis of bias, prejudice, or preferring the benefit to one person over another for improper reasons.”
“The principles of journalistic codes of ethics are designed as guides through numerous difficulties, such as conflicts of interest, to assist journalists in dealing with ethical dilemmas. The codes and canons provide journalists with a framework for self-monitoring and self-correction. Journalism is guided by five important values. The first is honesty: a journalist should not make up news or share news that give off wrong impressions. The second is independence: a journalist should avoid topics they have an interest in. The third is fairness: a journalist should not tell the truth if it is with bad intentions. The fourth is productiveness: a journalist should work hard to try to gather all the facts. The last value is pride: a journalist needs to be able to accept all credit for their work, bad or good.”
“The professionalism, reliability, and public accountability of a news organization are three of its most valuable assets. An organization earns and maintains a strong reputation in part through the consistent implementation of ethical standards, which influence its position with the public and within the industry.”
See related story here for contents of Olivia Gonzalez’s letter to the editor that was rejected by the Westfield Leader.
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