LeClaire Courts
He said I could come to the LeClaire meeting.
It was a semi-victory.
It's a tricky thing, learning how to pick your battles as a reporter. Learning when to push and when to back off.
Reporter welcomed back inside...
He said I could come to the LeClaire meeting.
It was a semi-victory.
It's a tricky thing, learning how to pick your battles as a reporter. Learning when to push and when to back off.
By going to the meeting, just by sitting there watching, I could change
what's going on. I could pressure people to feel like they can't be
honest or say what they really want to say. It's sort of like the Hawthorne effect. Sometimes, people need a safe place to talk, where everything's going to stay in the room.
There are also legal issues - CHA has to be careful that personal details about residents aren't released to the public.
And yet, I also struggle with not being there. If I'm not there, how do I really know what went on? And do I have an obligation to be there for the residents who asked me to be there, or to the public to make sure government business is conducted fairly?
I don't always know.
I did apologize to a resident who said she was surprised by my presence, and it was a little hard for her. She said she understood it was my job, and she would take it up with me if she had an issue with anything I wrote.
On a sticky note above my desk, I have an Ida B. Wells quote scribbled down.
"The way to right wrongs is to shine the light of truth on them."
I really do believe that. But sometimes the light of truth is a little harsh, eh?
I get that too.
There are also legal issues - CHA has to be careful that personal details about residents aren't released to the public.
And yet, I also struggle with not being there. If I'm not there, how do I really know what went on? And do I have an obligation to be there for the residents who asked me to be there, or to the public to make sure government business is conducted fairly?
I don't always know.
I did apologize to a resident who said she was surprised by my presence, and it was a little hard for her. She said she understood it was my job, and she would take it up with me if she had an issue with anything I wrote.
On a sticky note above my desk, I have an Ida B. Wells quote scribbled down.
"The way to right wrongs is to shine the light of truth on them."
I really do believe that. But sometimes the light of truth is a little harsh, eh?
I get that too.
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