Ever been reading a publication and come across something so nasty, vile, absurd or inappropriate, that it made you sit-up and ask yourself, "How in the world did that ever get printed?"
Something similar to the Brainerd high school yearbook's comment about beheading President Trump?
Recently, the Brainerd Dispatch played the role of the adult in the room when they offered their opinion on the yearbook atrocity. They pointed out the boilerplate items, yet failed to give any attention to what's most important. The Dispatch did not mention accountability and yet mentioned those responsible. Along with responsibility comes accountability-unless you desire terrible deeds go unchecked.
Would any rational adult think it appropriate to print a student's comment in a yearbook that invokes the beheading of the president? Or allow students to go unsupervised and not check the content of a yearbook which memorializes the past year's activities?
When you've finished analysing the facts and you're left with nothing else that makes any sense at all, then you can only be left with that which does make sense.
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What makes sense, is the high school yearbook advisor did one of two things.
He either did not review the yearbook prior to publishing or he allow the death-threat comment to stand because it fit his ideology.
Either of these require that he be fired. Now it's left to the school administration and mostly the school board to use this as a teaching moment and welcome all district students to the real world.
Recently, a Reader Opinion, "Bully in chief," was printed and declaratively stated "four republicans said all Democrats should be drowned."
The Dispatch did not challenge this and simply printed it. How could this be published?
Again, ideology plays a role in what gets published, and what doesn't get published.
Jeff Czeczok
Brainerd
