Letter To The Editor:

Dear Mr. Edwards,

I am an African American citizen, who has read your newspaper and has often wondered two things:

Why your newspaper has no reporters from another nationality?

Why you do not have multi-cultural articles for the PEOPLE of this area?

Since, your newspaper has the title "The People News" I feel that your newspaper should have people of color and news for the people of color. The Webster's Dictionary gives the definition of People as "human beings, a populace, one's family, a nation, race. So as you see Mr. Edwards your paper is not really for the People of Bradley County.

If your paper were really for the People of Bradley County then in your next edition I would like to hear from reporters of different nationalities. However, I do understand that would take time in doing the selection but to see articles for the people of color would add some sense of favor to your newspaper.

Your competitors, The Bradley Weekly and the Good Morning Cleveland, they have multi-cultural articles and reports from different nationalities. I may not always agree with their articles but I can admire their knowledge to know that it takes people from all walks of life and experience to report news.

This letter is not to bash you or your newspaper, this is strictly a letter of corrective criticism to help your paper not be a bad taste in our mouth as many things in the past have been before. Like the song "This Land is Your Land" has a verse that says, "This land is your land, this land is my land, from California, to the New York Island. From redwood forest, to the Gulf Stream waters. This land was made for you and me."

Thank you for your time and please feel free to publish in your next edition.

Sincerely, A Concerned African American Citizen of Bradley County.

                      ----------------------------------------------

A response from the editor:

As many of our regular readers already know, it is this publication's policy not to print unsigned letters. We feel it is important that freedom of speech carries with it a need for personal responsibility and accountability. I have decided to make an exception to publish this anonymous offering to expose one person's effort to incite racial hatred by accusing the press, this publication, of racial bias where there is none.

Although well written, I suspect that the writer is unaware that they are a racist in the worst tradition of the word and are so clouded with resentment, hate and racial discriminatory prejudice that they cannot conceive of a white male being anything but a stereotype promulgated by their racist mind. There are no racial over or undertones promoted by myself or The People News and I refuse to justify the point. We tell it like it is and to the average reader both black and white, the publication speaks for itself.

It is not surprising that the author assumes that to be multi-cultural means compulsory inclusion of African Americans and that racially paranoid African Americans like our anonymous writer somehow speak for all people of color or ethnic diversity. Well, I do not believe it and I do not believe in the value of affirmative action. To make exception on the basis of race is an insult to all African Americans and every other ethnic group. A person, especially an educated person, needs no special privilege to succeed in life in this great land and the idea that individuals being artificially elevated will benefit a particular race is absurd.

You will definitely not be seeing writers or reporters featured in The People News simply because they are black or articles that promote black culture just because it is African American. You will read the thoughts of individuals of any race that have the courage and self-confidence to identify themselves and be responsible for the ideas they promote.

There is no obligation for anyone to read The People News. It is free to all races and ethnic groups that want to pick it up. It's views and ideas are not forced on anyone. It is purely a personal choice.

Pete Edwards, Editor.
.