Typically editors review what is scheduled for publication. This includes determining which stories to cover, importance of the subject matter, the legality and ethical content of the article, and all photographs with proper attribution of photo source included. But what happens when there is no one to provide this lane of oversight and accountability? Let’s explore.
At the Alamogordo Sentinel, each article idea is discussed prior to writing and when complete is examined by all writers and the editorial staff. This step is used to examine content, supporting documents, approach, and wording. Only after input and corrections have been made is the article submitted for publication. The Sentinel is part of the contributors network of NewsBreak and strive to follow the journalistic policies and guidelines of that news site.
Reckless and Dangerous Reporting
In an attempt to “expose” situations in our community, the use of an objective in-house board or group of people to review Edwards’ articles would have been critical in preventing the unfortunate and ill-advised reporting prior to publication.
Amber Skies
Endangering the people who live in the Senior gated mobile home park by divulging security information was an example of recklessness by Chris Edwards publishing also as 2nd Life Media. After security information was exposed along with the safety of the park’s residents, an outcry forced him to edit the article to half the size of the original publication. But the horse had already left the barn! That is less effective than printing a retraction on a back page in small print. The damage was done.
Deputy Sheriff
How about Chris Edwards’ recklessly exposing the name of the deputy still under investigation placing his life in danger? Alamogordo is reminded that Edwards used an emotional tragedy to stir up the community and even went so far as to start a petition for the removal of Sheriff Black. All because there was no information being released by the Sheriff’s office. Did Edwards bother to find out why? Obviously not! Because the investigation was being conducted by a different agency in the northern part of the state to ensure that a fair investigation was conducted due to the emotional tragedy, no statement was permitted. Was this of concern to Edwards? He wanted the name of the deputy in question so he could print it in an article. Edwards was unconcerned with the safety of the deputy, discovered his name, and published it. Why? Edwards had stirred the emotions so high in the community as to make it unsafe for that deputy before the completion of the investigation. This is also a violation of the policies of NewsBreak even if someone else leaks the name. There must be a balance between the public’s right to know and common sense. There will be time to print the deputy’s name if charged otherwise it is reckless and dangerous.
The Investigational process of the Deputy
The investigation is being conducted by the New Mexico State Police and then forwarded to the 12th Judicial District DA for Judicial review. DA Scot Key recused himself from the investigation due to his working closely with the Otero County Sheriff’s Office. The case was sent to DA Bregman in Bernalillo County for Judicial Review.
At the same time the FBI, the Assistant United States Attorney from Las Cruces, and members of the Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division began an investigation into the case as well.
The Otero County Sheriff’s Office was not involved in these investigations with the exception of providing documents/evidence to these agencies for their investigation.
This is the statute that prohibits the release of the identity of the Deputy OR ANY INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE ACCUSED BUT NOT CHARGED WITH A CRIME.
Refer to NMSA 14-2-1.2
- Law enforcement records are public records, except as provided by law and this subsection, and provided that the presence of nonpublic information may be redacted from a written record or digitally obscured in a visual or audio record, including:
Section (A) (2), before charges are filed, names, addresses, contact information or protected personal identifier information of individuals who are accused but not charged with a crime;
This Deputy involved is being investigated in a Homicide case being conducted by the above agencies. The Otero Sheriff Office will not release his name nor will they comment on the case until the investigation is completed.
New Charter School
Let’s talk about the 31 articles Chris Edwards wrote about the charter school and the application/approval process. This was reckless and filled with false information. There was so much misinformation and disinformation in the articles. Once again, because of his irresponsible reporting a portion of the community was up in arms because Edwards was reporting that teachers would be fired and the high school would lose a huge amount of money. The charter school would be irresponsible in spending tax payer’s money. The sky was going to fall. The final move was to start another petition against opening up a charter school in Alamogordo. Because of the incredible quantity of articles, full of information that did not pertain to New Mexico, the sky high cost of starting a charter, teachers without jobs, and the question of inclusiveness were the repeated mainstays of those articles. It created such unnecessary turmoil in the community that the commission overseeing the charter schools, NM PEC, became alarmed. At one point, because this created an incited atmosphere due to disinformation, there was a question of whether to proceed with reviewing the application. There had never been such an intense reaction to a proposed charter school requiring greater investigation into what garnered such a reaction. Simply put – piles of false information. During the PEC approval hearing, in an unprecedented move, the Chairman paused the proceedings to address the unbelievable amount of misinformation and disinformation published about the proposed charter school in Alamogordo. In an article published by the Alamogordo Sentinel, “Local Media and Critics Called Out for Disinformation by NM PED/PEC at Charter Approval Hearing” it quoted the obvious realization of the commissioners of the uninformed incitement by local media joined by local groups to the ongoing repetition of the published false information. Thankfully, the new charter school application succeeded.
Why would any news outlet try to destroy a real opportunity for our community? Was it because Edwards wanted to show his “expertise” by being involved instead of on the outside? Unfortunately, he showed a total lack of knowledge of the application and approval process and operations of charter schools in New Mexico. In contrast, the different state entities proclaimed the benefit of the new charter school because of the need for the charter, its relevant location, and the personnel involved.
Income From NewsBreak Articles and Plagiarism
When a news source is “monetized” by NewsBreak, payment is based on reader interactions such as opening an article, comments, likes, and emojis. It also includes the quality of the article, such as the type and links in the article. The Alamogordo Conservative Daily is “monetized” and, therefore, paid according to NewsBreak’s criteria.
Plagiarism or intellectual property theft connected to monetary gain can be a crime. If a journalist passes off someone else’s work as original work without proper source attribution, it can be prosecuted as a felony as a state or federal crime if monies received are in excess of $2,500. According to citadel.edu, the penalty could be $250,000 in fines and up to 10 years in jail. Not only can it be prosecuted, but it is also considered a moral and ethical character failure.
Conclusion
The above articles’ contents are a prime example of the need for an in-house group to review the articles by Alamogordo Conservative Daily before publication. Questions would have been posed as to the sources, methods, content, and protection for the writer. Without these guardrails in place, reporting can take a dark turn toward power and control through the use of words. This in itself can cause division in a community. Hold elected officials accountable – Absolutely but it must be fair and objective. Compromising one’s character for “acclaim” is cheap success followed by failure. Journalism should be to inform and not insert unconfirmed information with an added twist. That benefits no one except the writer’s ego and thirst for power.
The statement by Mayor Payne is not the first time recently that the Alamogordo Conservative Daily has been called out for misinformation and disinformation. The other was by the commission, which oversees charter schools, NM PEC. They are located in Santa Fe and have no personal knowledge of Chris Edwards. However, they quickly learned of the massive number of false and misleading articles regarding the new charter school posted by Alamogordo Conservative Daily. It’s not personal. It is based on the quality and accuracy of the articles.
It is a false argument to state that the quantity of articles published equates to accurate and respected articles with solid, truthful, and fair content published by Alamogordo Conservative Daily. Quantity does not prove quality or accuracy.
Oversight by a group of people to provide input and caution leading to rewrites could have been very helpful with the “bombshell” articles published on NewsBreak as Alamogordo Conservative Daily. Keep reporting on all issues but in a transparent and responsible fashion.
Honesty, integrity, transparency, and responsible reporting are valued. Any compromise, sloppy work, or shortcuts in article construction will cause destruction. A “Breaking Story” is not always to best approach if it is error-filled, requiring “updates” of “information” and without substance. Original work is required.
