LocalCommentary.com
David Rodeback's Blog

Local Politics and Culture, National Politics,
Life Among the Mormons, and Other Stuff

Normal Version

Monday, August 24, 2009
Sometimes Bloggers Need to Offer Corrections and Apologies, Too

It's not fun, but one does it -- as now -- because truth is a higher purpose than pride.


When I blogged Saturday about erroneous reports in two media venues of a discussion the American Fork City Council had Thursday about cemetery fees and such, my intention was (insofar as it makes sense for a minor blogger to aspire to such things) to counteract their mistakes before they spread too broadly. I did not mean to frolic with them in the red-faced land of journalistic error. Alas, I ended up unwittingly splitting time between the two activities.

I have just learned that the some council members really did explore the possibility of spending some of the perpetual care fund's principal. MFCC noted this in her blog today. (Exploring the possibility is not necessarily a problem, even if deciding actually to spend the principal might be.) Therefore, the Daily Herald's Caleb Warnock did not commit the error for which I declared he should apologize, and I apologize for the accusation.

I also suggested in Saturday's post that several lines from a particular published account of the council discussion seemed to be a sign of some frustrating City staff dysfunctions I have chronicled in the past. Since that account was mistaken, it follows that the sign I thought I saw was not really there. For this, too, I apologize.

All of this notwithstanding, ABC-4's report that the city council will vote Tuesday on raising cemetery fees to $5500 per plot still deserves a retraction and an apology. The number is $1000, folks, as Caleb Warnock correctly reported.

And the potential still exists for some interesting and fruitful discussions between mayoral candidates in the coming weeks.


Normal Version