Time to get my word in edgewise

I come before you today more as a lifetime citizen and lover of this great county than as a journalist, though the two are difficult to separate at this point in my life. There has been a storm brewing for months now that I proudly stand in the center of, as a reporter for this very paper.
Standing in the middle of such a situation can get a little messy if not hazardous at times. That bothers me not one bit. I knowingly and willingly dove into this fray because doing the right thing for the people of Meade County, my neighbors, family, friends and my son and other children’s futures far outweighed me staying silent in the corner. If that meant getting some egg on the faces of a handful of local officials, well, so be it.
With that being said, the time has come to step back from moving forward and clear the air on a few things. The local radio station allowed Randy Johnson for two weeks to sling misinformation and unrestrained anger towards our paper, and now “Citizen Joe” appears to have taken up where Johnson left off.
We have printed editorials and always will, as they are a long-standing tradition of newsprint. In fact, Webster defines editorial as a newspaper article that gives the opinion of the editors or publishers. It would be hypocritical of me to do anything short of saying WMMG and Johnson have the same right, as does Redmon in penning his letters to the editor. It may be their right, but it will go on unchecked no longer. I surely did not throw down the gauntlet, but I will readily pick it u and accept their challenge.