What's Up With Greenfield?

Update: I am removing the name of the journalist from this post. It was a long time ago.

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Greenfield is reeling from a gruesome murder that took place last week. One journalist from the Boston Globe, [Jane Doe], wrote a "man on the street" piece that tried to cram the story into a "town ravaged by drugs" motiff. Unfortunately she had too much motiff and very few facts to support it.

I wrote to Ms. [Doe] to express my dismay. Here's what I said:

Subject: Objection to your portrayal of Greenfield

Dear Ms. [Doe],

Greenfield was portrayed in very unflattering terms in yesterday's article:
* "a town's decline"
* "small town increasingly beset by big-city problems"
* "industrial job losses and a subsequent surge in drug-related crime"
* "why drugs have ravaged his town"
* "believes Greenfield has 'gone to hell in a handbasket.'"

The article relies on quotes from a few people who were obviously shaken by the unfolding news--shaken, I should add, because such a thing is so rare around here.

There are no supporting facts about the supposed drug crisis. In fact, police have subsequently come out and said drugs were not a factor in this crime--so you jumped the gun making that implication. As it is, there is precisely one "big city problem" in the article supported by facts: the murder itself.

I suspect Greenfield has very little crime compared to other towns of its size in the Boston area. Some data about this would have been helpful in the article.

Greenfield today, like many other towns across the country, has seen jobs leave the industrial sector. But we also have a thriving downtown (did you interview any of the successful shops on Main Street?), a strong real estate market, and a high quality of life. For every sour old-timer you interviewed who has been complaining ever since the Tap & Die was shut down, I'll put you in touch with a business owner building a successful business, or a mother whose kids are great students and athletes, not druggies, or a political activist who pours their heart and soul into a cause because they believe in Greenfield's future.

By the way, the suspects are from Northampton and the victim was from Colrain. But I didn't see any article about the decline of drug-ravaged Northampton!

Thank you for reading my comments.

Sincerely,

Bill Denneen

To which she replied:

Thanks for writing Mr. Deneen [sic].

I spoke to a City Councilor named Sara View who told me that a huge proportion of the crimes that occur in her precinct are drug related. She also said that the police department does not have enough money to do the work that needs to be done in Greenfield because the number of residents in Greenfield far outpaces the number of jobs available. Every person I spoke with, many of whom, like Ms. View, did not appear in the story because of space constraints, said that Greenfield is losing industrial jobs and businesses.

I tried Mayor Forgey at home for comment; her phone rang off the hook.

District Attorney Scheibel didn't return a phone call to her cell phone and the police refused comment.

I'm sorry you weren't happy with the story, but I appreicate your insights.

Polcie have said the crime was not gang related, but they are still trying to find the people who hired the killers and have reason to keep details of the case out of the public domain. Two different people who knew the victim independently told me he was involved in the drug trade. Machete attacks carried out by contract killers are typically not random. Thanks again for writing. I appreciate your insights.

Best,

[Jane Doe]

I still think it's light on facts. People may say there's a decline because so and so lost their job, but some facts would have made the case. People may say there's drug crime, but they say that everywhere. Facts would have made the case. I thought journalism was supposed to be about the facts, not just the story.

Wired points out the benefits of potassium iodide in preventing radiation sickness after a nuclear accident. Being in the shadow of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee we're eligible for freebies. As a mnemonic device we keep them on top of the microwave (where we "nuke" our food) so we won't be running around looking for the radiation pills when the need arises. If you live in the zone, you can pick them up at CVS or Brook's.

By the way, I'm pretty sure they found the lost fuel rods, or at least figured out they weren't really missing.