Style Weekly
Reader Has Jack's Back
In our world of shrinking rights and controlled actions which are slated for “our own good,” it makes me furious that an institution such as CBS 6 would resort to bullying a young writer on his own Web page (“Blogger Raises Ire of Channel 6,” Street Talk, Oct. 8).
The news is, in theory, to present the unbiased truth about every aspect of the world. Jack [Lauterback], although he does have a certain personal paradigm, was merely stating what he saw and heard about the anchors. In no way should the truth be misconstrued as slander.
As for the comment about the female anchor, she should understand the importance of aesthetics due to its place in the journalistic world. Perhaps Jack was a bit crude in his evaluation, but if you read any of his other posts, you will find that it was mild in comparison.
Jack, who is living his life like all the rest of us, searches for an outlet for his day-to-day frustrations and observations and turns to the blog as a new-age media diary. These witty and astute observations from a sociologist would be revered in the academic field; however, coming from someone who does not have that distinction, some dismiss them as slanderous and disruptive.
To the uneducated eye, Jack's work may be misunderstood, but he has every right to write as he sees fit, that being one of the joys of American citizenship. People do not like to see how others see them, yet Jack is brave enough to put his work out there and is open to criticism. He may not know how to make a blue drink, but he nails the life and times of the bar characters with the greatest of accuracy and should be commended, not criticized.
Jen Woodruff
Glen Allen
Other Publications
