As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, embroiling the area in critically high rates of infection, necessitating going back to phase one in areas as they race to contain the spread with the holidays looming, we face dark days ahead and need to begin actively thinking about how we can work together to overcome this obstacle, this marathon, and come out on the other side not just surviving, but thriving as a community.
Occasionally we are tasked with writing an editorial that is dangerous perhaps more in timing and presumption, rather than content. This is a week where we take that risk.
To be frank and open, this column was written before the polls were officially closed, with a press time thick in the middle of the evening of voting. This editorial may print and we find ourselves waking up Wednesday morning with a clear result. More likely than not, we will find ourselves waking up to a result that is and will not be clear for weeks, or months. This editorial is in response to that likely outcome.
There is a difference between an editorial and a news story. There is a difference between taking a position and impartially presenting others’ positions. In an editorial, we believe our community is best served by a common sense position being taken that inspires action and fosters solutions. In a news story, it’s our duty to report on the actions that are taken, without inserting position or bias.
One of our editors, while covering a health committee meeting in a neighboring county last week, encountered an example of the deeper harm not masking up can cause, in the workplace, in the community and in public service.