Michael McAuliffe: Newspapers should stand strong; not shrink before the mob

To The Daily Sun,

Ours would be a much better world if people became as offended and enraged at systemic racism and cases of police brutality as they do at an editorial cartoon.

I am referring, as you may guess, at the recent Mike Luckovich cartoon that appeared in your paper and many others across the country. There will always be people who will object to or be offended by something they see or read on opinion pages. That’s just something newspapers have to accept and, in my opinion, remain neutral about. Papers that ran Luckovich’s recent cartoon didn’t demonstrate any bias by running it, but some certainly did when their publishers or editorial boards apologized for it.

In an era where ignorance is celebrated and objective journalists are labeled the “enemy of the people” by no one less than the president of the United States, it’s the media’s job to stand strong and not tuck tail when the proverbial mob shows up at the door waving pitchforks and torches.

I have to wonder why some people were so offended by this nationally syndicated cartoon. If you know your local police are professional and have high moral standards, why try to wear a proverbial pair of shoes that don’t fit? Just acknowledge the poignancy of the message, as it certainly applies to many other towns and cities in the country, and consider how fortunate you are. Why should you then care, you ask?

Because no American, near or far, black or white, is an island unto themselves. Their struggles, pain and death diminishes us all, because we are Americans.

Put aside your self-righteous anger and consider the plight of those who don’t share all the privileges of your complexion, income, or education.

What’s positive about the Luckovich cartoon? Plenty, if it prompts discussions like we’re having now.

I grew up in New Hampshire. Alton, specifically. So I know how kind, considerate, and empathetic the people there can be. Tap into that now. Instead of making this all about you, take some time to think about what it means for others who are not you.

Michael McAuliffe

Boise, Idaho