Letter to the Editor

By Joan D'Aiuto

Dear Editor:

 

Newspapers are one of the most powerful means for citizens to exercise their rights guaranteed by the First Amendment. The right of speech requires access to information which the best newspapers traditionally provide.  Last Thursday, January 21, however, there was an orderly demonstration of 30+ citizens on Main Street in Doylestown at the office of Congressman Pat Murphy urging Congress to pass a health care reform bill.  Organizers had notified the Intelligencer about this event, but no reporters or camera people covered this happening.  Had there been some Tea Party demonstrators or similar sympathizers, it's very likely that newspaper coverage would have materialized.  The editors seem to believe that some situations offer more exciting news than others.

 

It's understandable that newspapers cannot cover every incident every day.  However, the lack of coverage of the demonstrations by those supporting health care reform compared to the coverage of the opponents' demonstrations reinforces the perception that health care reform is doomed.  The Intelligencer should live up to the standards of honest journalism.  Instead it has chosen to misrepresent the truth by failing to cover all sides of issues.  The result is a failure to report the truth by omission.