One of my favorite things about working in newspaper journalism is the fact I get to meet many people, from all walks of life with a wide variety of backgrounds. Part of my job is to tell their stories to the readers. The other part of my job is to keep the readers informed on the day-to-day actions of their elected officials.
Covering these stories has allowed me to develop some friendships along the way. I am not a good journalist when it comes to being a fly on the wall. I usually wind up befriending those I work with and wishing them success as I report on their activities. This has caused some conflicting emotions for me in the past week.
The mayor of Alto resigned after a special meeting last Thursday, basically because the council did not back him up as he was trying to keep a city employee on task. There are a number of underlying issues which are surfacing, and I now have to interview some of these people I have befriended, asking them for information which will likely cause them stress. But, it's part of the job. The public in Alto deserves to know why they no longer have a mayor, why raw sewage was running into a local pond, if the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will levy a fine against the city, etc.
So, I am in a predicament where my concern for the parties involved must balance with my objectivity as a reporter. I just pray God gives me wisdom as I go through this.
I have seven stories to write before tomorrow at 5:30 p.m., so I should probably get back to work.
1 comment:
So who is the Mayor now? And what are they doing about that raw sewage pouring into the pond?
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