You might think that the Sun Dayâs black masthead this edition is in memorial of George Floydâs death but youâd be wrong…or only part right…because in reality itâs memorializing the loss of voice.
As most of you who read my columns know, I donât generally offer an opinion on any matter, as I donât want to influence anyoneâs perception of the newspaper and threaten its objectivity. The Sun Day demands objectivity of its staff and has zero tolerance for personal opinion in its news stories and fact reporting (columns are an exception). This objectivity even extends to the Sun Dayâs advertising representatives and even a little bit to the advertisers, as theyâre not allowed to âbuyâ editorial spaceâdirectly, indirectly, or otherwise. But every now and then something occurs, and I feel it both necessary and my right as a journalist to say something.
I think in 2020 Iâve seen more civil unrest in the span of just a few months than Iâve nearly seen in all my life. First there were the lockdown protests, then the protests against the lockdown protests. Now a cop in Minneapolis kneeled on a manâs neck, killing him, and we have the George Floyd protests and/or BLM (Black Lives Matter) protests, which in many areas, are dangerously close to riots. Or they are full-blown riots.
Yes, we are currently living in a world of global unrest, an unrest I think has been building for a long time (at least since long before the pandemic and George Floyd came along) and only one thing Iâve heard recently taps so accurately into the reasoning behind this uprising, if you want to call it that.
âA riot is the language of the unheard.â
Thatâs Martin Luther King, Jr.âs famous quote, and while I donât agree with the violence and looting, I understand the concept. But the two words that stick out to me most (as a journalist and as a person who is passionate about The First Amendment) are âthe unheard.â
I have spent my entire career as a journalist upholding The First Amendment because I firmly believe that everyone (and I do mean EVERYONE, good or bad) deserves to be heard. A personâs voice is an inalienable right. His or her most powerful right. And when that right is taken away, you see unrest.
It only takes living with a three-year-old to know this is true.
Iâm not comparing humanity as a whole to a three-year-old, but there is a point here to be made and ultimately a promise Iâd like to extend to our readers.
Three-year-olds often must feel unheard. Theyâre poor communicators or their parents are distracted or both. Whatever the reason, when a child is not heard, they riot. Or have a tendency to in their own way. Basically, they act up. Theyâre being unheard and they donât like it…one bit.
Thatâs what is happening right now. People are being or have been unheard and they donât like it. And I donât blame them. Of course, as I mentioned above, I donât agree with the way some of these protestors are expressing their frustrations (and Iâm fully aware that itâs the speakers responsibility nearly as much as the listeners to find a way to be heard), but I do sympathize with the frustration and motivation behind their actions. I know what itâs like to be unheard. Iâm sure most of us do, which brings me to my point.
While I donât expect to see many protests or riots from Sun City residents, I want to assure each of you that the Sun Day is an objective place to be heard. Itâs a place to amplify your voice. I canât promise we always have the room to publish every submission or say we never overlook something newsworthy, but our doors are open. We ARE here to listen. We are here to help your voices be heard.
