Contrary to what some want to believe, this newspaper did not glorify Matthis Chiroux's refusal to deploy to Iraq in a story printed Monday. We covered an event where Chiroux, who made news because of his controversial choice, was speaking and discussed his reasons for making that choice.
This newspaper never backed Chiroux's decision. We quoted what he had to say. Then we quoted others, including his custodial father, who opposed to his decision. Naturally, nobody barked and claimed we were slamming Chiroux then.
I know, I know, we have an agenda. One person left a comment claiming we were aiding and abetting Chiroux. We have a column in Monday's paper written by U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, giving him a platform to speak. Are we aiding and abetting him too?
We report what happens. Sometimes what happens creates a stir or gets people talking. We allow readers a forum to voice their opinions on the subject matter. People often discuss controversial issues, and particularly issues they do not agree with, more than the average run-of-the-mill issues. Newspapers often search for stories that evoke emotion and create conversation.
That's our agenda.
Next story.
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