ER - Should've used a dog print

Should've used a dog print

by Glenn Franco Simmons, 12/18/2005

The Richard Salzman fake letter to the editor quagmire is over. The California Attorney General’s Office has said it is not worth pursuing Salzman in court over bogus letters to the editor that Salzman sent to some local newspapers, including this one.

In a bitter irony, the galvanizing force behind the so-called Alliance for Ethical Business — Richard Salzman — was in fact taking part in unethical behavior by sending in letters under false names, including one that listed his dog’s name.

If Salzman ever feels the urge to submit a false letter from his dog again, I would hope that he signs it with his dog’s paw print. At least that would be honest.

I have been criticized by some community residents and journalism colleagues for my choice to turn the case over to the Trinidad Police Department for investigation. I was accused of violating the journalistic credo of not turning the names of sources over to the police.

As I did when under attack, I still feel that letters to the editor do not fall under that umbrella, and I would defend to the end the right of a journalist to protect real sources that are used anonymously in journalism.

That said, I have a real problem with unnamed sources. I believe it is best when anonymous sources are used only in the most extraordinary of circumstances.

After all, I feel the public grows weary of reading attributions in major newspapers and magazines that could go like this: “According to an anonymous source”; “according to an administration source”; “according to a high-placed source.”

Journalists say such use of anonymous sources is vital to their ability to write important stories for the public — stories, which journalists maintain, that often use government sources as “leaks.”

Without the use of such sources, journalists say, significant stories would never make it to the public and the government would be less accountable.

For the most part, I believe the use of anonymous sources is lazy reporting but, again, I would defend the right of journalists to protect those sources.

Getting back to the Salzman debacle, it has led this newspaper to be even stricter about submissions. As we did before, we phone letter and guest opinion writers. However, we now limit the number of letters a person may write monthly and we require photo identification for all guest opinions.

(Glenn Franco Simmons is The Eureka Reporter’s managaing editor. Opinions expressed in columns do not necessarily represent those of The Eureka Reporter or its staff.)


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