Sunday, February 10, 2013

Pomeroy mayor quits over report of gay slurs

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/02/10/pomeroy-mayor-quits-over-report-of-gay-slurs.html

I found this story while looking on the Columbus Dispatch website.  This article was about how the mayor of Pomeroy was using gay slurs and trying to get an officer fired because of his sexuality.  Overall I really enjoyed this piece. I think it was well written and I really enjoyed the quote the writer used to finish off the piece.  I think that while it is sad that people are still so un-accepting, it sheds light on those who are accepting and how the accepting people seem to be be rising in numbers and trying to stop such hatred from continuing.

I thought it was to be expected that the mayor would not comment and in my opinion it makes her look worse.  What do you think the lack of her perspective takes away from the piece if anything?  How do you feel about the hook the writer used and the overall style of writing? I was confused about how the mayors actions could get the whole village sued. Besides making her look even more evil than she is what was the purpose of including that? It seemed out of place to me.

17 comments:

  1. This is a well written article. I agree that the quote at the end was a nice touch to tie a small town incident to a nation wide problem of homophobia.
    The lack of her perspective clearly just shows more of her character and the kind of person she is, so it is probably better off that another mayor take her place. I wish the article had started off with a direct description of what happened, rather than discussing events that led up to it happening.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The article was very informative and discusses an ongoing problem in America today. Obviously the mayor of Pomeroy took an old-school approach to the situation and voiced her displeasure of a gay man working as a police officer. Nowadays, gay rights are gaining more and more power and these are the kind of dilemmas that will continue to happen in the future. Overall, I think the article was well written and I liked the use of background information before discussing what was going on relating to the situation. I wasn't surprised that the mayor denied to comment on the matter because it is already clear how she feels on the topic and there was no need to dig deeper into the situation.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The hook at the beginning was poorly written. It's already calling out an inequality and almost makes the policeman a laughing matter. They did not have to compare a homosexual relationship to a heterosexual one to get the point across in the article. When the mayor declined to comment, it showed that her attitudes reflect her actions and that she does not wish to further expound upon those beliefs. The resignation of the mayor is expected after a public scandal such as this.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I felt the hook at the beginning was kind of insulting and agree that it almost made it into a joking matter. Beside that I thought the article was very well written. The story was easy to follow and I felt was a important story to cover. I don't think her lack of perspective hurt the story, but reiterated it. Just goes to show that what they're accusing her of is true.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm glad to read that the police department of Pomeroy and other members of the community are in favor of the Officer Calendine's choice of sexuality. I wasn't aware their was much support of gay rights in other southeast counties other than Athens. I think the mayor made a good decision to resign after her attempt to fire Calendine from his position. This notion of gay couples and gays marrying is becoming less uncommon and strange to the America people. I wouldn't doubt that in thirty years the gay community will be widely accepted and gay marriage be legal in most states. Of course one can't hope for total support on the issue because there will always be some opposition.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I didn't think the lede was insulting at all. Rather, I think it made Calendine seem endearing, sincere. As for the article, the detail was adequate and the length appropriate; former Mayor McAngus from Pomeroy didn't deserve a feature, but required more than a blurb.
    Certainly, the story calls attention to an issue that, I feel, doesn't receive enough coverage on the local level.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I think this was a good, informative piece about what was going on in the area. I would have enjoyed a little more background information of the Mayor; her past government jobs, titles, family history. It would have been interesting to explore her past and why she thought and behaved a certain way. However, with it being a short piece, I do like the focus on the protagonists of the story: the Police Chief and Officer Kyle Calendine

    ReplyDelete
  9. I thought that this was a great article, which really highlighted a controversial topic in our nation today. I think it is great that it takes a nationwide debate and brings it all way down to the local level. The quote that ends the piece really ties the issue to the national level. I think the reporter did a great job of reporting the facts and staying objective. I do not think that the lack of a comment from the mayor takes any credibility from this story. If anything,I think that it just speaks of the character of mayor, and shows that she is either ashamed of her actions or unwilling to apologize for what she did.

    ReplyDelete
  10. The article overall was well written, and presented both sides of the situation. News like this should be reported, as the country is slowly beginning to accept gay partnerships and marriage. The author did show how the officer felt about the situation, and what he, and the public did to respond to the mayors threats. However, I think the sentence that noted the mayor "could not be reached to comment" was essential for the article. The author would have been perceived as attacking the mayor, rather than presenting news, not a one-sided opinion. The author did explain why the mayor resigned, according to reports, which was evidence in itself.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I really enjoyed this article. I thought it was not only written well, but also tried to get both sides of the argument (however the mayor would not comment). I also think that this is a good example of when it is acceptable to use a quote as the ending sentence. The quote really finished off the article perfectly. The only bad thing I would say about this article regards the first paragraph. I feel as if it should maybe be moved down instead of being the intro because it does start the article off in a sort of confusing way.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I really am pleased with this article. I find it interesting and intriguing to read articles that have meaning about a more important issue. This is a local newspaper dealing with a national issue that was handled in a good manner. This reaches the whole audience of the community, gay or straight, that there is issues even in the government. Not everyone is accepting and it is the companies job to handle it the right way. I think this article was great for the community to read and become aware of issues in their local government. The article was readable, had a nice flow and controversial.

    ReplyDelete
  13. This piece is a hopeful testament to one of the leading social issues of present day. Having this happen in a city so close to home, (and an admittedly conservative state) just adds to the hopeful aspect of the progression of gay rights in America. It's uplifting to know that the community backed one of its civil servants, and understood the mistake of another. The lack of comment on the mayor's part definitely makes an impact in terms of the reader taking sides; it shows her hesitance in addressing the issue and inevitably her fault in the situation. This article is a great example of reporting and current event relevance, as well as a refreshing positive piece of news.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I enjoyed reading this article. The topic is something that has been on everyones minds at some point, and has been in the media regarding the Boy Scouts. It was refreshing to see people stand up for what they believe in about the issue. It turned a disappointing article, that many people would be upset about, into something more interesting. It also shows the people of Pomeroy the true side of their mayor, which they have a right to know.

    ReplyDelete
  15. An important social issue that is not new to the newspaper headlines, thats for certain. I thought this article was interesting in how this woman refused to apologize. I'm personally glad she is out of work now. Come on people, its 2013, the ways of the world are changing. I really liked the quote that the author got about the young man willing to lay his life on the line for anyone. This showed that he was a normal police officer just like anyone else. Great article, and great win for the town!

    ReplyDelete
  16. This just calls attention to what is already relevant in the story. This makes the writer seem kind of bias as well. This doesn't seem so news worthy. The seriousness of the situation was definitely undermined. I liked how they said about the other people and their spouses, which shows some equality in the story. This story could have had another tone to it in order to make it more serious.

    ReplyDelete