I found myself sputtering incredulously when I retrieved my Sept. 4 Herald and discovered an article about the missing squirrel, Stumpy, on the front page. (“Squirrel’s a survivor”). Isn’t this the same newspaper that chastised citizens in an editorial opinion for expressing such overwhelming concern for Springer the orphaned Orca and not for our disadvantaged fellow humans?
The editor could have devoted this space to far more relevant news, especially at a time when our economy is crashing and our government is contemplating initiation of a highly controversial foreign war. If The Herald wanted to publish an emotional human interest story, it could have featured an interview with a survivor of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Furthermore, The Herald has, in its zeal to save Stumpy, overlooked the fact that Stumpy’s owners practiced highly irresponsible animal care by allowing a crippled wild animal to roam free with no protection from predators. They were proud to have saved him since – voila – he couldn’t survive in the wild because of his disability! In fact, they’ve made him a target by outfitting him with a bell, which cat aggressors like raptors, dogs, and coyotes learn to associate with prey. Is The Herald intending to save Stumpy with a call for help again when he disappears by wandering off, as wild animals are wont to do, or he becomes an hors d’oeuvre? The Herald should practice what its editorial columns preach, and take a quick gander at the Cliff’s Notes on journalistic responsibility.
Snohomish
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