Turn your anger into something positive

We came under fire last week over reporting on an autopsy report for Stephen Dalton. Our personal safety was threatened, personal addresses were published on social media, there were demands of removal from a volunteer leadership position that a team member holds, and a target was made of one of our reporters. The only reason you post an address and photo of the house of a specific person is to incite and invite violence against that person. He is a person who loves Crestview and is a veteran journalist. He is a good person, and Crestview is fortunate to have him reporting on today’s news – and tomorrow’s history. Typically, people use these threatening tactics when they want to do to us what they perceive we have done to them. And they couldn’t be more wrong. The irrational outrage and fervor were reminiscent of what we have read about the Salem Witch Trials.

Reporting on a death is not something we normally do, unless someone is killed in a car accident or dies in a public place or in a public way. We were not aware of Dalton’s death until we received multiple calls from the public about an incident in the Lowe’s parking lot. We began our search to find out what might have happened. It turned out to be Dalton. We reported the story.

We had no idea who he was. Although we certainly wish we had known him. By all accounts, he was an awesome person who believed in helping others and was loved by many. People should never be defined by how they died – but rather how they lived. We were not defining him in any way but answering questions about a death that happened in a public location with people who were around when it happened.

Publishing the autopsy report was a normal part of our reporting under the circumstances of his death. Had it been a drunk driver who died in a car accident, we would publish his toxicology report. We understand. It’s always hard when you know the person we report on. We have broad shoulders and can take the angry words.

From the report, we can also surmise that Dalton had a long history of alcohol abuse, and possible drug use. Those things do not make him a bad person – it makes him human and like so many who cannot cure the disease by themselves. But the outrage from friends and family is a little perplexing. It is almost as if it is from a place of shame. We cannot and will not guess what he might have been going through on the day of his death. But by the accounts of angry people who were proud of who he was, his life outweighed the circumstances of his death.

What if, instead of threatening the personal safety of our reporter, you take that energy to honor Dalton’s death by fighting against alcohol and drug abuse? Create an event to raise funds to donate to a non-profit who can help someone go to rehab. Create an awareness campaign to save those who are still living with the disease. Talk about his life, his commitment to people, his unwavering smile. The community would come together for that – and so would we.

We would have gladly and whole-heartedly taken up the campaign with you and been a conduit for all of it. We would have made sure his death was not in vain and that his spirit lives on in the community. We would have helped in so many ways, and we still can and will if the decision is made to turn the negative emotional and irrational knee jerk reaction into positive change.

A very serious line was crossed on social media by his friends and family. They think we crossed a line. We didn’t. We know who made the threats. We have the phone numbers and social media profiles saved as a precaution. We will not be bullied into taking a story down because we get threatened. For those who declared that they unfollowed and removed themselves from our social media and did not, we helped them follow through with their declaration. Ninety-nine percent of those that said they cancelled their subscription, did not – because they didn’t have one. If they did, they may have a better idea of what journalism is and is not.

We will not back down to bullies. Our hope is that when the detractors grow up, they will want to work together and turn Stephen Dalton’s death into a rallying cry to eradicate addiction.