In the Aug. 28 Leader, reader Trent Diamanti took issue with the paper’s decision to publish stories about an ethics complaint filed by citizen Crystal Cox against Mayor Dave Farber.

I do not know Crystal Cox, nor Mayor Faber. But as a former publisher and managing editor (including a short stint at The Leader), I’d like to respond to Mr. Diamanti’s very reasonable concerns.

The decision to publish or not to publish a story, especially when the decision will be controversial, is often difficult. As Mr. Diamanti points out, much depends on context, and most of that often can not be included in the story itself. Good reporters working for good newspapers, like James Robinson writing for The Leader, will try to stick to what can be verified.

Even then, it’s not easy. Does the paper ignore a properly filed complaint against its mayor? I can hear (and have heard) accusations of a cover-up. Does the paper include disparaging history about Ms. Cox, without the ability to check multiple sources for every allegation? Are the old allegations fair?

Examples from Mr. Diamanti’s letter: He quotes a Cox post from X (formerly Twitter), “Witches FOR Trump.” That made me smile, and I have no idea if Ms. Cox was serious (I suspect she was, and considers herself a witch, which is not a dis-qualifier for anything in Port Townsend). But does her statement invalidate charges she levels at Mayor Farber? I really don’t think so.

Mr. Diamanti takes issue with Ms. Cox’s opinion / experience with The Proud Boys. Is it impossible to believe that among all the Proud Boys, some have treated Ms. Cox with love and support? At one time we did not blame groups for the actions of individuals in this society.

To believe otherwise is its own form of bigotry, intentional or not. But the point is, does Ms. Cox’s experience with Proud Boys, and her willingness to share it, invalidate her complaint against Mayor Faber? I don’t see it.

Mr. Diamanti’s 2013 quote from the Massachusetts judge may be more on point, but that was more than a decade and 3,000 miles and perhaps a light year in context away. It would have been much better for someone local to step up and make himself/herself heard. As Mr. Diamanti has in this case. He has provided important perspective to the discussion. I assume that’s why The Leader published his letter, as well as the original stories about our mayor, someone who serves our interests, hopefully in the most honest and sincere manner possible.

It probably should also be noted for context that Trent Diamanti is Mayor Faber’s paralegal, not that this has much bearing on the opinions expressed for his employer.

That’s how this news business works. Imperfectly, incompletely, occasionally incorrectly. Truth squirms even when we feel we have a strong grip on the facts. Because facts can be used to distort the truth. Providing context can take some time, but is a critical function for knowledge and decision-making, which is why newspapers were protected by America’s founders.

Erik Dolson

Port Townsend