So I have to admit, I was a little surprised by the balance exhibited in the Beloit Daily News article about the complaints leveled against Jenifer Keach, the Rock County coroner. The newspaper wrote a report as honest as can be given the the possible influence and negative tone spun up earlier by the Janesville Gazette.
The BDN reported on the allegations as they should. They reported on the county's findings and they gave the coroner a chance to catch her breath and explain her side. That the coroner's office is participating in team building and communication exercises also means everyone, including the coroner, is taking a interactive approach and not in denial. This is how responsive management professionals should react to problems. You can never be too professional.
By comparison, what the newspaper did not do was most striking. The BDN did not attempt to discredit the coroner, nor did they exaggerate the allegations or undermine the coroner's response. Neither did they paint the event as a springboard to restart the newspaper's crusade to wrest the office away from the voters.
In other words, it's simply a news article without any hidden connotations.
Kudos to the BDN.
Gazette Runs Opinion Columns Without Op-ed Attribution
Saturday's Janesville Gazette front page contained a picture of candidate Tom Barrett next to the statement "Gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett remains loyal to President Barack Obama," in the header of the newspaper. This was posted without attribution as a lead-in to Page 2 where the story, a politically driven op-ed written by Mike Nichols (Badger Diggings), was masqueraded as a news article by the Gazette. Saturday's op-ed section began on Page 6.
9 comments:
Yes, blah blah blah, cheer on the BDN for their lies. They stated 'facts' in that article that were untrue. Do some homework before you go ranting and raving about the local news.
You sure told me off.
I am just frankly sick of hearing about this...why does any of this matter anyway? Who is this affecting? I don't get why we keep having to hear about all this Coroner's office stuff. There are more important local government matters than this...
So all SIX employees who have corroborated the allegations and cooperated with the investigation are lying? Why do we allow elected officials to abuse their power? County officials have no authority over the coroner. They can not reprimand her. Their hands are tied. How can we believe one elected official over 6 employees?
I agree, the type of allegations levied were strictly an internal personnel matter that happens every day in all professions, public and private. All managers and supervivors need team work, motivational and communication exercises every now and then. Anon 7:53, have you asked the Janesville Gazette why they decided to dig these complaints up and sensationalize them?
Nobody said anyone is lying. Those six employees (or two formal complaints) had their 15 minutes. The Gazette gave it to them and lit the way. Are you saying the other employees who defended the coroner are lying? Most of those allegations were frivolous to say the least. Stop trying to throw gasoline on a fire that won't light.
ALL of the employees who were interviewed echoed the same complaints. I would not call slapping a funeral director on the rear, making sexual comments and demeaning the Catholic religion frivolous. The only employee who defended the Coroner was a volunteer who never spent time in the office setting. I respect your opinion but you are wrong on this subject. The Coroner has made improvements to the office but has ALSO created a hostile work enviornment that reaches far beyond "personnel matters".
What about the employees and others who weren't interviewed? Comments are just that, they are comments, opinions, musings and sometimes meant not to be taken seriously. Actually, the first amendment doesn't offer any restrictions or control on interpretation. In other words, although what she said may have sounded crass to some, others might nod in agreement. I don't know how many nasty comments I've heard against Islam or Muslims in a work environment or sexual jokes of some kind - I can't count that high. Physical contact like slapping somebody on the butt within employment is a no-no, but there are times of mutual antagonism or playfulness when it can happen. I'm not saying it's acceptable, but there are exceptions. Then again, when it's primarily the spectators that are the ones filing the complaints, it comes across like they're carrying a vendetta. By calling the complaints frivolous, I'm not discounting them, I just believe they don't hold the level seriousness some folks would have liked them to have. I've dealt with some heavy personal and office politics before and I'll be the first to say it makes partisan politics look like child's play.
As a Human Resource Specialist I have learned that in regards to employee/employer disputes, the truth usually lies buried somewhere in the middle. This is a unique situation since an elected individual is involved and I am unfamiliar with the laws governing the electoral status. The county does have an obligation to protect its employees from harassment and retain confidence in the agency. Although I do not believe that we should draw conclusions prior to the final outcome of any investigation, I do believe that the public has a right to know about allegations against a public official once a complaint has been filed. On a side note, I do not understand why a coroner is a political official. Annie D., Beloit
Annie D., the public absolutely has the right to know. But on the surface, these complaints are petty by most standards. Yet, how the media paints it up beyond just reporting also makes a big difference. Their job is to report the news, not act as attorney, jury, judge and executioner.
The appointment of an examiner can be just as political as elective office. Appointments are are no guarantee of competence or professionalism.
Post a Comment