A reader, and longtime critic, whose last email to me, before last week, was to criticize us for “political blather” that “charades as journalism,” because he didn’t like a report on a local political candidate, took a different tone on our reporting on the situation facing Waynesboro Public Schools.
“As you are well aware, I don’t agree with much of what you publish, but you were spot on about the academic situation in the city school system. It seems to me that if the public knew more about what actually goes on in the classroom between the students and teachers, they might get upset enough to force some changes,” the local man wrote.
“Your in-depth investigation and reporting might do a lot to inform the public and lead to a change,” he wrote, ahead of asking, in a follow-up email, if there was “anything I can do to help.”
Well, yes, actually.
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Admittedly, it’s quite humbling, to be made aware that what we get to do makes a difference to folks, even those predisposed to thinking ill of us.
I mean, I get it – people don’t trust the media, because people don’t trust hardly anybody anymore.
But in particular, the news media is about as popular these days as the lettuce at Taco Bell.
We’ve been getting similar kinds of emails from folks writing to us about their concerns over the request of Northrop Grumman for a state permit that would allow the defense manufacturer to emit tons of hazardous pollutants into the local environment.
The one that hit me the hardest:
“You have a platform in this town. I hope you continue to use it to address this extremely important issue.”
We will.
We’ve been reporting on the failures of a broadband provider to meet project deadlines in Augusta County, and in the course of our look into that story, fell into the finding that we’re not alone on that here locally, prompting another reader to write:
“How this has garnered literally zero coverage from the RTD, WaPo, VPAP, etc., is absurd.”
Agree.
We’re still the only local/regional news outlet to report on Augusta County Sheriff Donald Smith telling the world that he’s not going to enforce new gun control laws on the books in Virginia.
I’d love to share the flood of emails that we got for taking that stand, but, didn’t get one.
It’s a stand that needed to be taken.
We’re still pushing the Waynesboro Police Department to come clean on a series of vehicle break-ins that included break-ins of police cruisers belonging to Albemarle County PD officers – what we know so far is that the thieves made off with, at the least, a police rifle and ammunition.
The break-ins happened six weeks ago; again, literally no one else in the local/regional media has lifted a finger to report on what seems to us to be a rather important public safety story.
No one else has reported on questions about the culture within the UVA Softball program, or the continued employment within the six-time defending national champ UVA Women’s Swimming program of an assistant coach who is on probation from a national sports body after admitting to emotional abuse of athletes at two previous college jobs and a local YMCA.
The swim coach story is more than a year old now.
Crickets from the rest of the local/regional media.
Every community in the country needs to have a news outlet willing to do the heavy lifting on this kind of stuff, to make sure:
- that our kids get the best education.
- that we don’t sacrifice our environment for a few good-paying jobs.
- that when we hire a company with millions in public dollars to do something, they do it.
- that our police follow the law.
- that even the mighty University of Virginia, regional power that it is, isn’t treated as being above reproach.
#TeamAFP can’t do much about every other community in the country, but we can damn sure make it so that there’s somebody here at least trying to hold people in power to account.
AFP: Speaking truth to power
- It’s time to clean house at Waynesboro Public Schools: As in, starting over, from scratch
- Waynesboro leaders sold their souls, and ours, to Northrop Grumman
- Augusta County is not alone in its struggles to extend broadband to rural residents
- Augusta County sheriff goes rogue, declares he won’t enforce new gun laws
- Waynesboro Police still not spilling beans on June 9-11 vehicle break-ins
- Letter to UVA President details concerns about culture in UVA Softball program
- UVA Swimming coach Gary Taylor on probation after admitting to emotional abuse of athletes
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Chris Graham
