Where’s the Coverage?

To the Editor:

I am extremely disappointed in the disingenuous lack of coverage of The Fayette County Record on the attack on the U.S. Capitol. This Jan. 6 insurrection is the most important news story of this new year, and probably of the decade, if not the past two centuries. Not a word of it is mentioned in the Jan. 8 edition of the newspaper. Nor is it covered on the newspaper’s Facebook page, nor its website.

That is the problem with journalism today, especially print journalism in rural America. Rural newspapers are more interested in placating its ‘red’ readers than in, as U.S. Senator Mitt Romney said, ‘telling them the truth.’

Journalists are vital to a free America. Their role is to hold all of us accountable. They must report ‘the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.’ Our democracy and the republic dies when they do not.

If (when) FCR does cover this most newsworthy story, I hope the newspaper calls it as it is. Instead of laying the blame on a few anarchists (when there were thousands who stormed the Capitol), Trump’s speech and call to action to this group (just hours before the insurrection began) must be called into question.

Instead of highlighting any after-the-fact comments from prominent state elected officials (like Cornyn, Cruz, Abbott, Paxton, Kolkhorst, and Leman), the newspaper must highlight how these elected officials placated and supported Trump for years, despite Trump’s constant attempts to undermine America’s national security.

Just do it!

Editor’s Note: The Capitol riots were just beginning last Wednesday as we were sending our Friday edition to the press. We covered two local angles in Tuesday’s edition.

Cecil Webster

Carmine