Letter to the Editor

Commentary on former mayor went too far

Friday, January 20, 2012

To the editor:

Mr. Weld, you go entirely too far! Barrett Harrison is a fine person, who has dedicated himself to making our city a better place. The only thing that Barry Harrison is guilty of is trusting his finance director, an employee who worked for the city for 27 years, to do her job. Obviously, his trust was misplaced, but no one knows why she failed to pay the IRS bill, or what steps she may have taken to hide the fact that she had not paid them. If it turns out that money was embezzled by someone in the finance department, then surely you would not also blame Barry for that!

This newspaper has a history of rushing to print any false allegation that anyone cared to make against Harrison, often without even asking for a comment from him. Even though you might print the truth in a later article, the damage is already done. You have made an effort to show how difficult it is for a person to sue a newspaper for libel and win. At the time when those protections were afforded to newspapers, they held themselves to a much higher standard of accountability than they do today.

I would like to suggest that you consider setting the bar a little higher for yourself. Wait until all the facts are in before you pass judgment, and consider printing only things that are ethical and unbiased, rather than just anything you think you can get away with.

Nancy Harrison Gurley
Blytheville