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To be or not to be negative
 I was recently asked by an administrative assistant of Winnsboro Mayor Jackie Johnson why The Franklin Sun is eager to print negative news, but not positive news concerning the mayor.
While that's not true, I can easily understand how it might seem true looking from the inside out in Johnson's administration.
To the person that asked the question and anyone else that might hold a similar opinion, I offer up the words of that old newspaper man who used to fly kites in thunderstorms and help found nations in his spare time—Benjamin Franklin.
"If all Printers were determined not to print anything 'till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed," Franklin wrote in 1731 in his Pennsylvania Gazette.
While we would like to fill this newspaper with nothing but positive stories, that's not really our job.
The Sun is not a public relations wing of the city of Winnsboro or any other entity or person, but we will report good news when it is worth reporting. We will also print bad news when it's worth reporting—moreover, it's our charge to do so.
The question of this newspaper's proposed propensity to dwell on the negative was sparked by stories we have recently ran on the ongoing controversy concerning the city of Winnsboro's mishandling of animals that make their way to the city shelter.
As I have written in the past, Johnson has made some positive strides in solving this problem, but bad things are still happening and they invariably will be found in the pages of this publication.
It's not because we relish the negative that we print these stories, it's because we would be derelict in our duty as a community newspaper if we did not.
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Check out the full column and editorial cartoon online in the The Franklin Sun's new E-edition!For the full story, subscribe to the The Franklin Sun's NEW E-Edition! |
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