News itself doesn't have a positive or negative quality

Frontiersman editorial board

The Frontiersman has received a number of phone calls and e-mails in response to John Davidson's three-part series about the methamphetamine problem in the Valley. Many of the comments have been positive, but many have also come from readers who are upset because they feel the Frontiersman included information in the articles that would make it easier to produce and access the drug.

What is the relationship between the news and the media? Is it a newspaper's responsibility to report the news completely and accurately, or should the information be edited to protect the community from distressing information? If the latter is true, what standards should apply? The answer, for the Frontiersman is, a little bit of both, and the meth series is a great example of our policies at work.

Our philosophy is that while some news produces positive reactions and some is received negatively, the news itself does not have a positive or negative quality. There is no such thing as bad news, as long as it is presented accurately and completely. If the job of a newspaper is to provide information to its readers, than all accurately presented information is good news. The intent of the reporting is also central to the process. If the intent is to inform and empower readers, sometimes the news has to be disturbing.

In the case of the meth articles, some readers were upset because the Frontiersman listed the ingredients for cooking meth, and also mentioned that the details of the process could be easily found on the Internet. Was the newspaper contributing to the meth problem by providing that information? Are new meth labs cropping up in the Valley because potential cooks had no idea the recipe was available on the Web? It's highly unlikely. Most people know that all kinds of information is readily available on the Internet -- some of it is much worse than meth recipes and a lot of it is very useful and wholesome.

The intent of the articles was to shine a light on a serious problem in our community. Part of that effort required us to explain that the drug is easy to make, and that information about it is easy to come by, making it even more insidious. It's critical to remember that news about a problem is not the problem -- it can contribute to a solution. Incomplete information can do more harm than good.