We upset some folks with last week’s story on changes in the Athens County Public Libraries’ approach to Pride Month. I spent much of the weekend reading reactions to it, conferring with our staff and other editors about it, and generally thinking about what we did wrong — and what we got right.
In the “what we got wrong” category:
We should not have identified a post from a Facebook group as the inspiration for the story. Some members of the group were alarmed that a post in a private group was included in a news story. Nothing on the internet is truly private; screenshots of a private discussion can be shared anywhere. We did so, and we should not have. The article has been amended to remove both the mention of the group and the screenshots.
We should have spoken with library branch managers, as well as with Becca Lachman and Lindsay Place. If we use your communications in a story, we should give you an opportunity to comment. You didn’t get that opportunity. I’m sorry.
These issues aren’t the reporter’s fault. They’re mine. As editor, I am responsible for everything we publish. I wanted to get the story in Thursday’s issue of The Indy newsletter, so I pushed ahead with it under deadline pressure even though a story involving a sensitive issue and multiple sources requires careful, deliberative editing.
Journalists, especially, need to separate what’s important from what’s urgent. Getting a newsletter out is urgent. Building and maintaining community trust is important. I let urgency override importance. Because I did that, we unnecessarily hurt people. I’m sorry for that, and I promise to do better.
Now, for what we got right: I stand by the story. Community members were asking why they were seeing more minimal pride displays this year. We looked into it, and we answered. That’s our job.
Internal emails the Independent obtained through a public records request show that the library administration, led by director Nick Tepe, changed the libraries’ approach to this year’s Pride Month after complaints in the Athens News about Pride displays in 2023. Tepe said the same thing in an interview, and in a letter to the editor. We also reported that library staff were encouraged to incorporate LGBTQ+ materials and resources into their programming year-round.
Of course the public libraries must be welcoming to all.
But while it’s perfectly fine for people to be uncomfortable with or unhappy about our society’s increased acceptance of LGBTQ+ individuals, what’s not fine is acceding to their demands that a public institution shield them from encountering open acknowledgments that LGBTQ+ individuals exist. This is the paradox of tolerance: A welcoming society must reject intolerant viewpoints.
All of us at the Independent adore Athens County Public Libraries, and libraries in general. Like good journalism, good libraries are an essential public service and fundamental to a strong democracy. And our libraries are very, very good — thanks, in part, to Tepe’s leadership. That includes the library’s efforts at inclusivity: The Independent has reported on a Pride Month event the library hosted in The Plains, the libraries’ defense of LGBTQ+ library materials and displays last year, and the presence of the Bookmobile at the Chauncey Gays pride event. And even this story on pride displays clearly shows a library administration and staff deeply concerned about and committed to fostering an inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ patrons.
But even beloved institutions — even those doing a great job at advancing their missions — must be subject to scrutiny. It’s not fun to be under that microscope, and even less fun to be criticized. Our first reaction to criticism is often to lash out or reflexively defend ourselves. (I certainly did!) But if we leave it there, we gain nothing. Examining our actions lets us see where we upheld our values and where we erred.
It’s unpleasant, but I highly recommend it.
