Craig Daily Press

CollinSmith (Anonymous) says…

Also, our paper is committed to reporting facts. The reason there have been no numbers associated with the recreation center proposal is because there are no numbers.

Campaign members have never discussed costs at their meetings because they do not know what they want to build.

For the same reason, they do not know the specifics of how it will be financed. It is not a fact that residents will have to pay a member sign-up fee.

However, officials have said and it has been reported that residents likely will pay membership dues, but no amount has been discussed as of today.

When the campaign knows what kind of recreation center it wants to build, you will know how much it costs.

The only public opposition has come from the Craig City Council, members of which openly questioned why they should authorize spending money to hire a firm to work on an issue that already was voted down.

They were quoted fully in the paper.

I sincerely hope this is not looked at as confrontational. I do not want to instigate a protracted argument about previous posts.

I guess all I want is for the community to understand where we as a staff — and myself personally — stand on the issues raised here.

We need your help and your insight to have the best community newspaper possible. Please don’t be a stranger.

Thanks,
Collin Smith
(970) 875-1794
cesmith@craigdailypess.com

On Our View: Show some thought for reason

CollinSmith (Anonymous) says…

Dear posters,

Thank you all for staying active on our forum. We do appreciate that you take the time to be involved.

I am not writing to defend Wednesday’s editorial. I would like to discuss some of the issues presented here in a larger picture.

Before responding to some of the previous statements, I would like to say that our office is split between those who feel writing here is appropriate and those who feel it is wrong.

Some of us feel this forum should be only for community members so they can speak without interruption.

I think engaging the community can be beneficial for the paper and the town as a whole. We are not ignoring you.

It is, however, important to all of us that the newspaper staff does not become part of the news. If we were to irresponsibly flood the forum with opinions, we would lose all objectivity, and with it, all credibility.

Sometimes, it seems that those who have never worked in media or a public office assume a person needs to be in a “click” to be heard. I don’t how to convince people this is not true other than to say every voice is heard.

There is, of course, one exception.

As a paper of record, one determined to never print false rumor, we will not print statements from unnamed sources.

Which brings me, in a roundabout way, to addressing comments posted here.

No one on this staff will allow this community’s newspaper to become the meaningless ramblings of one person or group’s agenda.

Regarding the recreation center campaign, the only people quoted in the paper have been supporters because they are the only people putting their name out into the public domain.

In every article written about the campaign, organizers have encouraged resident participation, even asking those that have questions or concerns — or those that are opposed to the campaign — to come to their meetings.

I would like to encourage every Moffat County resident to become involved in the community in one way or another. If the recreation center campaign means a lot to you, if you think it is a financial mistake, I encourage you to voice your opinion.

This newspaper will not be shy about interviewing and quoting anyone with a valid point or concern.

But we need your name. If you feel strongly that your view is just, you shouldn’t need to stay anonymous.

In so many cases, it seems residents that oppose an issue — such as the recreation center or the bonds passed in November — will not give their name or will not agree to be interviewed.

Without your comments, we cannot print your point of view.

On Our View: Show some thought for reason

CollinSmith (Anonymous) says…

I reported this story and I've been following this thread as new posts come up since the original article ran. I'd like to thank everyone who commented so far.

I agree with the last two posts, that a story from the business' perspective — why they couldn't pay, does that have anything to do with the restaurant business or anything to do with the overall Craig economy — that would have been the better story.

Unfortunately, the business owners decided not to comment.

Sometimes that happens. We decided the story was still newsworthy because we live in a small community, and as taxslave pointed out, the loss could mean the economy is not as strong as suggested by different economic indicators (tax revenue, property values, job market).

There's also the issue of falling tax revenues as businesses close. If we start to see more businesses go out of business, the staff of this paper will report those stories, like this one, fairly and accurately. We strive to give everyone a chance to put their point of view in any article related to them, and, in this case, the business owners did not want to comment.

Thanks,
Collin Smith
875-1794
cesmith@craigdailypress.com

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