Neon Tommy newsroom in action, photo by Alan Mittelstaedt

I don’t think we’ve had the opportunity to meet before because, as a journalist, I try to present you, my readers, with various perspective on an issue, rather than expressing my own views. 

Just as government officials are expected to (in theory, at least) act in accordance with the priorities of their constituents, so too do journalists and other media outlets have a responsibility to the public. 

For the past 66 years, the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics has been in place to keep journalists accountable for “seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues.”

While opinion articles are intended as a forum for reporters to share their own views about an issue—often hoping to sway readers’ views, or at least encourage them to consider another perspective—news pieces and other stories try to remain objective. 

Of course, almost anything people say is shaped by personal views and experiences to a degree, but journalism challenges writers to put their own agendas aside in order to present fair and balanced coverage of serious issues. 

We aren’t Big Brother, so we don’t merely give you stories that we personally support. So yes, we will bring you profiles of people accused of sexual assault, unfavorable concert reviews and breaking news stories where we present as much information to our readers as possible.

Then we leave it up to you, our readers, to choose what articles to read and how to react—trusting that you will remain as respectful and open-minded towards us as we try to be towards you. 

Just as people would say it’s unfair to present only stories that support Obamacare or urge the importance of non-intervention in Syria, so too would it be unfair to only give a voice to the people with whom we agree. Everyone has the right for their stories to be heard and their perspectives to be made known. 

Take away whatever you want from an article, but try to open your eyes to perspectives that you may not have considered. Even if you completely disagree with what is published, listen—if only for the sake of becoming more eloquent in the defense of your own position. 

And if that is too difficult or irksome, simply click away. 

Just as we try to be considerate in the content that we publish, we hope that you will return the favor. There is no need to submit hateful comments—often anonymously—that personally attack reporters. 

Yes, we are absolutely putting ourselves out there by publishing articles on the internet, but please try to remember that we are merely human—just like you. So maybe take a second to reflect before anonymously publishing comments saying things like, “maybe if you grow the balls you'll come out from behind your computer screen and experience just what such a lack of privacy is like.”

We don’t sit here telling you that you must believe everything we say, so if you don’t like what you’re reading, tell us why rather than leaving hateful comments. Saying things like, “hopefully you will be a victim of Darwinism, at the front bumper of a car, before you procreate and infect the rest of the world with you callow views,” does nothing to promote consideration of new ideas or offer new insights into whatever article is in question. 

Neon Tommy thoroughly enjoys having open comment sections in order to engage our readers and begin a dialogue to discuss important issues. In fact, we urge you to contact the writer—both privately via e-mail and publicly via Twitter—but as soon as comments become defensive and personally aggressive, the possibility of a thoughtful discussion of the issues at hand starts to dissipate.  

Apparently, even theatre reviews and concert recaps are not exempt from vicious backlash, as one critic grumbled, “your elitism and sorely evident politically correct attitude announced them none too subtly in your review.”

If you want to hear what I actually think, come stop by the Neon Tommy offices and we can chat—I’ll even bake cookies. Just please don’t confuse journalistic reporting with personal views and objectives. 

Sincerely, 

A Neon Tommy Writer

Contact Associate News Editor Sara Newman here. Follow her here.