One of the wonderful, okay crazy, things about this job is you never know what will get a rise out of people. After you've been in the job a while you can get a pretty good idea. However, there are still surprises. One of those surprises came this morning.
On Friday we ran a story about a local couple seeking help for veterinary costs for this dog, which has impacted teeth.
I received a call this morning from a man who was very angry ... and I mean very angry ... about the story. He said the story was a slap in the face to all the kids who didn't get a meal last night. He's got a point. He was upset with the fact that we would run such a story. On that one, we didn't quite see eye-to-eye.
I obviously felt it was a story, otherwise it wouldn't have run in the Free Press. Granted, it may be excessive for people to ask for donations to help them with vet bills for their dog, but that is judgment call for the public to make. If the public doesn't agree with it, they don't have to donate or, as I suggested to the man who called, write a letter to the editor.
As editors, we don't have to agree with what people are doing to publish stories about them. If we did, the paper would be pretty bland. The story about this couple and their dog was a touching story. Anyone who has had to weigh the cost of a hefty vet bill to keep their pet alive can relate to the story. They are facing a tough, gut-wrenching decision. We can all relate, and for that reason it is a legitimate story.