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Response to Dockside Article in November Viking
Letter to the editor: The dockside responds.
I would like to address the letter to the editor that appeared in the last Viking regarding my writing about the swimming pool issue,
I’ll be honest with you, I wasn’t going to acknowledge the letter and I was going to let it go by the wayside. After talking to several people and getting their opinion on what they thought about what I had written and the response in the letter to the editor I have given the subject great thought and my response is as follows.
While I believe each person is entitled to their own opinion, I also believe that we must be responsible and respectful of those who have differing opinions. The writer of the letter called me out on a few things and I think that while it is perfectly fine for a differing opinion to be expressed there should be some respect given in the response and I don’t believe that occurred in that letter to the editor.
For someone who prides themselves upon their journalistic abilities, I felt this letter was written from a personal prospective rather than a journalistic prospective. For a letter to the editor I guess that doesn’t matter and that is fine. But given the writers background I must say that I was disappointed in both their content and methodology.
The pool issue at this point is done, majority wins and I will live with that. Do I believe that the wrong decision was made? Sure I do, or I wouldn’t have expressed my differing opinion. But it is over so I’m not going to argue that point.
What I do want to address is the fact that the writer made some claims that are not exactly true. I did not speak on the issue at the annual meeting because that was the first time I heard about it. Most people, who know me, know that I won’t speak or write about something unless I feel that I know what I am talking about.
So after the annual meeting I started doing my research to find out what was going on.
Then I asked questions, got answers and then I wrote that dockside. Also understand that the dockside is written several weeks prior to the time members receive the Viking in their mail box. Sometimes this can effect a story.
As a side note, understand that I am sometimes asked to write about specific subjects by various parties. This was one of those times. Who was it? That doesn’t matter. I wrote the article and I’ll stand behind what I wrote.
As much as we all need and use water, yes it can be dangerous. I can’t say that I am in a position to know how it feels to have had or be involved in an accident involving water and or a pool. I am also sure having that experience does have a lasting effect on a person, and I can feel for those people.
But given the fact of where we live and our surroundings, you think people would have a respect for the water. I mean we’ve got some pretty big holes filled with water. I would think that people that live here would make sure children know how to act around water and that they are aware where their children are and they know how to swim.
While the writer expressed “he cited his reluctance to use our pool”. There is no reluctance on my part, I will not use the pool given the current situation and I am not the only one who feels this way although I may be the only one to express my concerns.
Now I am not going to sit here and air all of my problems with current pool management.
Those who need to know what the problems are already know and it doesn’t need to be handled publicly out of respect. See those I disagree with still get respect whether deserved or not.
I do owe a thank you to the writer of the letter to the editor. You proved to me that it is important to write about issues of importance. You also reiterated something to me a journalism instructor once shared with me. That was ”if you write a good story and you use no names or specific details yet everyone knows what your talking about, then you did a good job.” So I thank you, xxxx (name withheld for journalistic principles and respect)
I thank you for the opportunity to express my feelings and disappointment, this whole ordeal has most certainly been an experience I would have much rather not gone through. I’m not shirking responsibility for the controversy caused by that dockside article, All I am saying is if you are going to criticize me, do it with a little respect and knowledge about what your talking about.
Tony McGuire,
Author of the “Dockside”
docksidelpoa@aol.com
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