Last week, the Alligator learned of an event being planned by the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville. We will not dignify the event by discussing it in this publication.
We only bring it up in this space to explain to our readers the reasoning behind our decision not to focus any attention on the event.
The most basic role of a newspaper is to inform its readers, so the decision to withhold information is not made lightly.
After careful consideration, we felt it was our responsibility as journalists and as members of society not to contribute to a culture of hatefulness, vitriol and a general lack of respect for others.
The Alligator can’t allow itself to be the mouthpiece for any group, but especially not a fringe group that has a track record of exploiting the media to advance its message and notoriety.
We hope the rest of the media, both local and national, will resist the temptation to sensationalize this event.
Lastly, we hope this act of transparency on our part will promote trust with our readers. Now that you’ve been let in on our decision making process, we hope you understand our decision, even if you disagree. At least you know the decision was not made hastily or without due consideration.
And you can rest assured that all other dilemmas that face us will be treated with the same sense of responsibility and diligence.
