March 23, 2006

Carla Cohen, Editor

"The Gateway"

Delivered by hand, for the Letters to the Editor page.

Dear Carla,

The Unity Party values the Freedom of the Press. The First Amendment provides special protection for freedom of the press, but along with that comes the responsibility to safeguard the people's right to know. The Gateway is not a newspaper. You have abdicated that distinction with your punditry, your bias and your disregard for journalistic ethics. The Gateway is nothing more than a biased newsletter used by the incumbent party to present only one point of view.

When you purposely altered a photograph to erase certain individuals out of the photograph, you violated journalistic ethics.

When you print biased allegations about a Party or individual and deny a rebuttal by the offended, your credibility as a journalist can be questioned.

When you print editorials disguised as news articles you are being deceitful and enabling punditry to permeate your so-called newspaper.

When you distort an individual’s or Party’s public statement, you have once again violated journalistic ethics.

When you purposely bury opposition articles and refuse to print opposing points of view, you have given up your journalistic integrity.

When you show favor to one point of view in word, action or deed and call it news, not editorial discretion, you are being dishonest.

When you supply advance issues of your paper to a political party so that they may distribute your libelous attack on the opposition only reinforces the argument that the Gateway does not contain news it contains political rhetoric.

The Gateway is not a newspaper. It ceased being a newspaper once you allowed punditry and biases to permeate just about every page.

Yes, The Unity Party believes in the Freedom of the Press, we also believe in the responsibility of the press to protect fairness and the public’s right to know.

Ralph L. Ratto Unity Party Chairman