News Tribune columnist called a 'spineless (expletive)' for acknowledging white privilege

It’s time, once again, for my monthly, “You rip, I respond,” column.

You know how it works: Angry folks write or call, and I respond and make an awkward video. Then hilarity and an occasional expletive ensue.

I hope you enjoy.

Now, on to this month’s emails …

There is no such thing as white privilege, and you are a spineless (expletive) for supporting that lie. — Anonymous

True story: I received this email on the Sunday before Memorial Day, sitting with my family and a few friends in the yard. Our kids were running through the sprinkler while our dog, Ramona, romped after them.

It was perfect, at least until I looked at my phone.

There’s probably a lesson here, about the wisdom of checking my emails on days off. I should clearly stop that.

On the other hand, after a couple adult beverages, this particular email got a lot funnier. Our guests seemed to enjoy it. They’re probably Samantha Bee fans.

I’m irritated that you and Dr. Khan are so elated with the bank location on the corner of 38th and South Tacoma Way for a future methadone clinic. Well, myself and several others beg to differ. We think it will scar this well-established, prospering area. I would suggest that you wander a little further in the surrounding neighborhoods to get a better picture of the true landscape. It has been a constant problem with the homeless and addicts wandering in our neighborhood. … There has to be a better location — perhaps next to The News Tribune or in your or Dr. Kahn’s neighborhoods. — Chris

Hi, Chris. Thanks for reaching out.

First of all, I do understand your concern. That’s one of the reasons I visited businesses in the area. Getting their perspective and hearing the concerns many expressed is important.

At the same time — when weighing the potential problems local business owners raised, which are similar to the concerns you expressed — I found it telling that businesses in the direct vicinity of the existing opioid-treatment facility that Northwest Integrated Health operates at the other end of South Tacoma Way had essentially experienced none of this.

In fact, most of them actually had no idea the facility was there — and it’s been in operation since last year.

In other words, the idea that a medically assisted opioid-treatment facility will automatically attract homelessness and other troubles to the neighborhood feels like more of a fear than a reality, at least based on experience.

Finally, I’d point out that the issues you highlight — specifically, homelessness and addiction — would likely be improved through greater access to opioid-treatment facilities like the one proposed.

The TNT really has turned into an utterly irrelevant piece of (expletive) …. – K

Believe it or not, this email was also in response to last month’s mention of white privilege.

Shocking, I know.

Anyway … thanks for reading?

I read your piece in Sunday's paper with great interest. I was anxious to get some local perspective about an issue that brings out both emotion and animosity. ... Instead of reading about a "Fife facility home to children split from parents at border,” I read that there is no conclusive proof that this is the case for any of these boys. … In today's hyper-sensitive climate, inaccuracies and biases are no help to resolving issues. I normally appreciate your articles. … But I am disappointed in your commentary. – Peter

Hi Peter,

You’re exactly right. The headline that appeared in print with my recent story on the Selma Carson Home for undocumented and unaccompanied youth was a significant mistake.

The story published online on Thursday. My editor and I worked together to come up with a headline that was both accurate and fair. We landed on: “The boys came north without parents or papers. Now they're detained in Fife. What does their future hold?”

It’s a little long as far as headlines go, but it works.

When my Sunday paper arrived, I was shocked and disturbed to see the front-page headline proclaimed: “Fife facility home to children split from parents at border.”

While one prominent local immigration attorney did tell me there was one case involving family separation at the Selma Carson Home, and that was included in the story, the facility strongly denied this, which was also included in the story.

Either way, the basis of the story was clearly not children separated from their families at the border — even though that’s a very hot topic at the moment. Most importantly, there’s no way that should have been the headline in print. A mistake like this rightfully erodes the trust of readers, and it understandably upset officials at the Selma Carson Home.

We ran a correction in Tuesday’s paper, but which do you think carried more weight — a small correction or a front-page headline?

So how does a gaffe like this happen?

It starts with the challenges and staff reductions that have affected The News Tribune and just about every other newspaper in the land.

Today, our print design work does not occur in this building — it’s done by regional “hubs,” meaning someone somewhere else in the country is likely responsible for creating the printed page that shows up on your doorstep and for writing the headlines you read. It might happen in Sacramento. It could be Biloxi.

This, obviously, is a system fraught with challenges. When it goes wrong it can lead to mistakes like the one that affected my story on the Selma Carson Home, and smaller ones that still chisel away from the trust readers have in us.

Now, if that sounds like an excuse, that’s because it is. It makes for a wholly unsatisfying answer.

Clearly, we have to do better. We can’t make mistakes like that. While it’s easy to point at the imperfect system we’re working with — which, again, is a result of staff reductions, financial realities and difficult decisions — readers expect more from us. And without the trust of those readers none of this matters.

Here’s the bottom line: Throwing our hands in the air and blaming the system just isn’t sufficient.

I deeply regret the error.

Yeah, this is a subscriber. I hope you have a long vacation. Enjoy your vacation. — Anonymous Voice Mail

Thanks! My vacation was great.

Oh, wait … that probably wasn’t sincere, was it?

This story was originally published June 22, 2018 at 12:14 PM with the headline "News Tribune columnist called a 'spineless (expletive)' for acknowledging white privilege."