Nearly anyone who's been a reporter or editor for any amount of time has had to deal with someone who is angry to the point of being unreasonable.
One of my most memorable "really angry" readers was the father of a city council candidate in a city where I was editor a couple decades ago. He became upset at me after the newspaper declined to endorse his daughter for office. He was certain I blocked her endorsement out of spite, and he proceeded to do whatever he could to let people know I was a lousy editor. That included writing lengthy letters to several of my corporate bosses urging them to fire me immediately. Eventually I left that newspaper for another job, but the guy never stopped going after me. He was unusually relentless, and I have to admit, his anger scared me a little.
Most times, the threats newspapers hear come from people who are upset with something we've written about them or a relative. Often, but not always, the stories in question involve an arrest.
The threats are usually legal in nature, and usually they are bluffs. They'll say something like, "Well, I've hired a lawyer," and I'll ask them for the name of their lawyer, and it will turn out they don't have a lawyer, and then we'll discuss what it is they we've written that has angered them. We always re-check to make sure our facts are right. They almost always are, but if they're not, we print a correction.
Sometimes, these exchanges don't even involve whether a story is accurate. It's just the fact that we printed the story. Again, it's usually a story that involves an alleged crime, but sometimes it's about something political, or a dispute between people on two sides of an issue. In any case, explaining why an incident or event is newsworthy to someone who is angry is hardly ever fun.
Most people who are angry with us cool down. But some never do.
I don't believe newspapers receive more threats now than in the past. But the general discourse about the media is certainly nastier than ever.
When the president of the United States — who often twists the facts — decries newspapers as "Fake News" or the "Enemy of the People," it gives license to everyone to be more ugly. I'm certain I will receive some sharp-edged feedback just for sharing this opinion.
The proliferation of social media has added to the incivility. Too many Facebook and Twitter users from all sides of the political spectrum use these platforms to dehumanize whoever they see as the opposition.
I don't blame any of the above for the terrible mass murder of five people at the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland last week — apparently committed by a man who had a beef over a story that newspaper had accurately reported.
But maybe this tragedy can lead to something better.
Throughout most of America's history, journalists have not been winners of popularity contests. That's OK. If we're doing our jobs, we sometimes piss people off. It's in our job descriptions, right after "uphold the First Amendment."
We're not perfect. We get facts wrong on occasion. The so-called liberal bias some readers discern is a real thing newspapers need to recognize.
Mostly though, reporters and editors at community newspapers like The News-Journal work extremely hard for not a lot of money to provide important news and opinion to the communities we serve. Our news is local, and it's remarkably accurate because we're professionals. We're also your neighbors and friends. We care about Volusia and Flagler counties.
It breaks our hearts to read about our colleagues at the Capital Gazette. A crime like that naturally makes all journalists more concerned about their safety. But we won't stop doing our jobs.
So if you have a story tip, by all means call us. And if you have a complaint, call us. Or call me directly. My cell number is 386-681-8628.
But please, don't think of us, or any journalists, as your "enemy." We're your community newspaper, doing the best we can to fulfill an historically important role for our communities and country.