PAGE A22 • THE VILLAGE BEACON RECORD • NOVEMBER 21, 2019
Editorial Letters to the Editor Journalism Requires Access A Thank You from Brookhaven Supervisor For journalism to be effective in not only covering the events of the day, but also uncovering mistruth and misdeed, it requires access to people and records. As local journalists, that usually means sitting in an interview or talking on the phone with our local school district, village and town officials, as well as our local, state and federal representatives and officials. More often, though, we find a certain lack of ... well, frankly, the ability to connect with some of them. This issue needs to be addressed. Journalism is financially struggling, locally and nationally. Advertising dollars have plummeted, and staffing is short on people. The Pew Research Center has reported print circulation for weekday papers was down nationally by 8 percent for 2018 over the previous year, and 9 percent for Sunday papers. So, as newspapers struggle to maintain current standing, access to information from all these local sources is now at a premium. Too often, information is withheld, embargoed or stymied. Though it is more rare, some officials resort to tactics of intimidation to prevent the release of information. Some sources are afraid to comment on issues for fear of public retaliation. Cases of great importance, like that of the ongoing health issues at the Northport Middle School, have bureaucratic hurdles that include using public relations firms as contact people. Something as simple as getting an official’s comments or requesting documents through the Freedom of Information Law can often become problematic. It seems to take more work than it has in years before. In modern times, the number of public relations professionals only seems to increase, while the number of journalists decline. Bloomberg News wrote this year there are six PR professionals for every one journalist working in the field. This is up from a less than two-to-one ratio just 20 years ago. If you were to check our inboxes, you would likely have to shield your eyes from the blinding number of emails we receive daily from PR firms. That is not to say we oppose these professionals. They are often a very useful and necessary component of business. And a good PR person can make a reporter’s work a little bit easier. But of course, that’s only when good things are happening. When there are issues, we often find communications professionals actively make getting even simple comments from officials that much harder. We as journalists often prefer to speak directly to officials when the need arises. That’s what the public expects. We thank the many people who have worked with us on stories, both public officials and spokespersons alike, but we also ask everyone to understand the importance of the press, often regarded as the fourth pillar of democracy, even at the levels closest to the community. Restricting access to even the smallest bits of information hinders the effectiveness of government by the people. It’s problematic for both the journalist and the municipal body that maintains government operations. In the great tug of war match between journalists and officials over information, the knot in the rope should always land on the public’s side of the line, and our role is to be the watchdog for the people. We thank the officials and communication specialists who honor that premise and work diligently to uphold high standards. Our world is a better place when that happens.
Letters … We welcome your letters. They should be no longer than 400 words and may be edited for length, libel, style and good taste. We do not publish anonymous letters. Please include a phone number and address for confirmation. Email letters to kyle@tbrnewsmedia.com or mail them to The Village Beacon Record, P.O. Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733.
With Election Day behind us, I would like to thank the voters of Brookhaven who elected me for the fifth time as their town supervisor by 62 percent to 38 percent. I am deeply appreciative for their faith and support in my administration and intend to use this mandate to continue my work with the town board to keep Brookhaven moving forward. Among my top priorities will be to continue to strengthen our town’s finances, maintaining our AAA bond
rating and holding the line on taxes by complying with our tax cap and debt cap. Over the past seven years, our town board has preserved hundreds of acres of land and preserved the character of our neighborhoods for generations to come. My administration will continue to clean up our underground and surface waters and prevent overdevelopment. Equally as important is reducing the cost of government through consolidation and shared services, and working with all
levels of government to bring down the cost to our taxpayers. Finally, through strategic planning, we can work smarter to develop thriving downtown main street centers, attract new tech industries and strengthen our economy by creating long-term, high-paying jobs. Thank you again for your support. I will work every day on behalf of all the residents of the Town of Brookhaven. Ed Romaine Town of Brookhaven Supervisor
President Donald Trump (R) has worked so hard for the American citizenry. What sets him apart from the pack is that he is a successful businessman not a politician. To place our country in his capable hands has paid off in many ways. Namely, we have the lowest unemployment on record; a thriving economy; 60 percent less welfare recipients; record job growth for minorities (blacks, Asians, Hispanics), women and youth; untied the hands and strengthened the military; improved veterans health care; is a warrior for all law enforcement; made us energy independent; working on criminal justice reform; building the wall to protect our sovereignty as a nation; securing our borders; protecting those with private
health insurance and much more. You may dislike him — or even hate him. However, if you love this country and want to remain free, you cannot ignore the facts which I’ve stated above. He continues to demonstrate his love for this country and its citizens through his dealings with foreign nations. He will no longer allow the USA to be taken advantage of by other countries putting the burden on the American taxpayers. Imagine how much greater we could be as a nation if the Democrats would remove the splinter from their eyes and work for and not against the American people. What the Democrats have failed to remember is that they work for us and not the other way around. Since Trump has been our duly elected president, the
Democrats have passed zero legislation. The socialist programs proposed by the 2020 Democrat candidates are unrealistic, extremely costly and would heavily burden the middle-class taxpayer. The only beneficiaries of their programs would be the illegals. Those who disrespect our laws are protected by sanctuary cities and receive free health care, education, etc. Without contributing a penny. When in your life did someone give you something for nothing? Please, open your eyes America. Save our republic and work to protect this awesome country for generations to come. Trump is doing just that, not by his words but by his actions. Deb Sarli Port Jefferson
Over the past week, calls for the resignation of White House senior adviser Stephen Miller have grown. This is because the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry, obtained Miller’s emails that highlighted his affinity for white nationalist sources and texts in his communications with Breitbart News. The emails reveal that Miller promoted sources including the white supremacist journal American Renaissance and the French novel “The Camp of the Saints,” which depicts immigrants as “savages.” Breitbart disseminated this propaganda, which fed their white nationalist readership’s appetite for hate. It should be noted that Miller is the architect of Trump’s anti-immigration policies, including migrant and asylum seekers family separation at our southern border. There has been an outcry from the Congressional Black, Hispanic, Asian
Pacific American and Progressive House caucuses for Miller to resign. They accurately state that white supremacists have no business serving in a presidential administration and crafting policy that affects millions of people. Our own 1st District representative, U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley), has remained silent on this matter. Zeldin is on the record defending Miller and attacking Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who correctly and accurately called Miller a white nationalist. In an April 2019 tweet, Zeldin accused Omar of “attacking Jewish people,” weaponizing his and Miller’s Jewish heritage for cover of her legitimate criticism. I call upon Zeldin to publicly apologize to Omar for his unfounded attacks on her. She was correct in calling out Miller’s white nationalist views. I also call upon our congressman to denounce Breitbart for spreading this kind of hate. Zeldin has himself contributed articles to Breitbart and has
had former Breitbart executive chairman, Steve Bannon, as a headliner at his congressional fundraiser in December 2017. Last but not least, Zeldin should join the chorus of voices calling for the resignation of Miller. As one of two Jewish House Republicans, Zeldin has a unique responsibility to reject white nationalism, instead of abiding and cozying up to it, as he has done. Anything short of this would be deeply immoral and hypocritical, and a betrayal of our district’s values, as well as the congressman’s Jewish heritage. We live in increasingly polarized times, but there should be no disagreement that white nationalism is a danger to our country, and to our democratic ideals. I call upon Zeldin to prioritize morality over party loyalty and publicly denounce Miller, Breitbart and white nationalism, and apologize to his colleague Omar for his unfounded attacks on her. Shoshana Hershkowitz South Setauket
Trump Is No Slump
Zeldin Should Denounce Stephen Miller