Document text
Both sides bash reports from center Sometimes I forget about just how narrow that yellow stripe is running down the middle of the journalistic highway. That�s the one on which we try to do a balancing act while reporting the opposing opinions whizzing by on both sides. It can be a dangerous dance, the Fourth Estate rumba. And nothing reeks more than a roadkilled reporter stinking to high heaven. Yep, much worse than a dead skunk in the middle of the road. It�s sometimes difficult to find dead center, even after more than two decades walking the line at various capacities at more than a dozen papers from Anchorage to the Bay area. One of my tasks at the Mail Tribune, in addition to writing a column, is to cover environmental issues. It�s an interesting topic, one that affects us all. Yet you can easily end up feeling like a deer caught in the glare of headlights as you seek the center line. But the readers will quickly put you back on the straight and narrow. Such has been the case in the past two weeks. Several readers called to chide me for siding with the timber industry. They figured I was a lumber lackey. An e-mailer felt an advance I wrote about Saturday�s rally opposed to creating national monuments was monumentally biased. "Blatant lies and propaganda" was the way she characterized statements made by those opposed to monuments. "I think you have fallen prey to the right-wing conspiracy of getting ignorant people to follow their lies like sheep," the writer concluded. "Sorry you showed support for those invaders." But other readers have informed me those folks have me all wrong. One caller wanted to know why I always listen to those environmental "wackos." Then there was the 18-wheeler e-mail that nearly sent me sprawling into oncoming opinions Christmas Eve. "We have been reading your stories about the timber industry and we would like to ask you how long you have resided in the Medford area," it began. "It seems your articles reflect the side of the environmentalist." The author goes on to note that she and her husband have lived in the area for 35 years, paying taxes and raising children. Her retired husband had apparently worked in local lumber mills and in forestry. "What has made us angry is front-page articles with pictures of radical people who haven�t done a lick of work or anything to promote a healthy lifestyle in our area," she wrote. "People who don�t bathe or wash their hair look like bums who are high on drugs made to be heroes. Some clown who doesn�t have a clue of the people who have made our valley the place it is. "The forestry workers know better how to manage the area much better than an idiot wearing beads and dreadlocks and smells bad," she added. There�s more, but you get the gist of it. Yep, you are either a nature nut or a timber toady. You are for us or against us. Black or white. Horse feathers. Perhaps I�m naive, but I like to think most journalists try to be fair when covering issues. Most of us seek to portray points of view accurately, regardless of whether we agree with an opinion. Yet we can�t pretend that our experiences don�t shape our personal philosophy. Indeed, the fact my family settled in Jackson County more than 110 years ago does give me a unique perspective. The fact my father was a logger and that I set chokers in the woods before going into the service more than 30 years ago has had an impact. But no more than my love of visiting a pristine wilderness, of looking up at giant trees reaching to the blue sky, of listening to a cold and clear mountain stream. I have friends on both sides of the aisle, none of whom smell bad or are involved in any conspiracy. Neither side has a monopoly on intelligence or decency. And neither side has all the answers. Nor do journalists. Whatever answers we do provide are seldom contained in one article but in a series of articles we write as we try to follow that narrow yellow stripe. Meanwhile, if you happen to hit a bump near the center line, ignore it. It�s just me clinging to the middle of the road. You can reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.