Letter to the Editor

Note to my Dear Readers; this letter is a tad over-reactive, but the case of Col. Russell Williams has bothered me deeply, and I have never been fond of the Sun. Also, I apologize in advance if the subject disturbs any of you the way it disturbed me.

To the Edmonton Sun;

                 I was having a super day. I'd fled work early, got to the gym on time, my outfit was comfy, I was feeling awake despite only four hours of sleep, and I had green curry for supper planned. As I skipped (Yes, skipped.) to the gym entrance, I scanned the headlines of the day across the four newspaper boxes lined like school-children waiting for the bus. But, lo, a speed bump in my mood: a picture of a young women, cheekily half-grinning, in uniform (obviously a military photo) graced the cover, next to the headline, in huge capitals: "I WANT TO LIVE". I stopped in my tracks, 'What is this about', I pondered, 'some sort of charity drive for a disease?' But alas, it was not so. It was the dying plea from one of the victims in the latest high-profile murder trial. She had been brutally murdered right after uttering this entreaty.
                Now, I do not read the Sun. Having noticed inconsistencies within stories, statements that were so misleading that they were dressed as other "facts" which I knew to be false, being disappointed with the pedestrian writing style, and not interested in any of the garbage that the Sun believes to be "news", I have eschewed it in favour of national papers which may not always be directly relevant, but are at least not the mental equivalent of a greasy cardboard burger. This avoidance approach has worked with many things: milk, mentioning the long-gun registry to victor, and petting my cat with wet hands, and was effective in keeping me inoculated against the tripe put forth by your newspaper. I have little to no recourse when you insist on shoving information in my eyeballs, however.
               I will admit to some overreaction here, since the case has affected me deeply, perhaps I feel a kinship with the young women who had likely felt safe in their homes, prior to its invasion, and lately I have been nervous at home myself, since this story broke. But when the Sun sacrifices good taste, decency, and common sense, to run a cheap, attention-getting headline, such as parading around the words of a murder victim, with the sole desire of obtaining a few readers who could easily get their violence fix off the Internet, it is clear there is no journalistic integrity. Edmonton will never be considered a "World-class city" without solid news sources to keep the citizenry informed, not scandalized, and just your presence in the media market of
Edmonton takes up space that could be better served by more serious papers. Needless to say I shall be using the full force of my four years of Philosophy (or as I like to call it the "Degree in Making Others Feel Stupid") to deliver a withering look anytime anyone mentions the Sun in any capacity other than that reserved for supermarket tabloids. That's just my little contribution to making the world a better place.

I bid you good-day;
Michelle
Edmonton, AB