Document text
Editorial: It's never good enough A nationally known television personality is coming to speak to Ashland High graduates Friday night, but we're not supposed to tell you about it. That's the line from some in the Ashland School District today, with officials fearing any news of the special commencement speech will cause a melee in Lithia Park at the Butler Bandshell. They're also threatening us, saying our relationship with the schools will be jeopardized if we print the story. It's Ann Curry, by the way, NBC "Today" show news anchor and a former Ashland High student. In the world of small-town newspapers, local reporters and editors can at times have a testy relationship with school officials. Usually, it's the charge that we only print the "bad news" about our K-12 campuses. In this case, we're being castigated for printing anything on a certain sensitive subject which we consider very good news. It's rather unusual. Throughout the year, our schools coverage has included everything from simple guitar lessons for alternative school students to the heart-wrenching budget debates that ultimately led to today's closure of Briscoe Elementary. We've been there, folks. The subjects have all been interesting, diverse and in our view no one was given special treatment. In fact, everyone who pitched a school-related story had a shot, and our front pages have been filled with these articles and photos week after week. Along the way, we took criticism for what we didn't cover. It happens, and anyone who has ever worked at a small newspaper like the Tidings comes to expect it. We listen to these criticisms, and when applicable, we act on them. But in most cases we stand sure, knowing that we do our very best to cover the school stories that people care about. That's why this issue is so astounding. It highlights the fact that sometimes no matter what you do, it's never good enough. We can somewhat sympathize with our school leaders - they're worried that with space for only two people per graduate at Friday's commencement ceremony at the Bandshell, a horde of Ann Curry fans pouring into Lithia Park could cause a commotion. Well, we like Ann Curry, too, but we're not sure an entire populace is going to drop its Friday night plans to hear her speak. Here's our recommendation to citizens: Respect the district's concerns about overcrowding at graduation and simply stay away from Lithia Park. Let it be a special night for these graduates and their families. We also have a strong recommendation for the school district: Take another look at the Tidings. Try your darnedest to understand what it is we do. And in the future, stop well short of making threats against us for covering Ashland news. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -