Gosh, I love it when we get stupid letters.
One of the weird things about being a journalist is that your work is thrown out there daily in front of thousands and thousands of people; some people feel compelled to criticize by send letters. Some make great points; others are so stupid that they cause whatever beverage you're drinking to shoot out your nose.
The other day, the we got a letter from a that fit in the latter category. The writer rambled for a while about such unconnected topics as President Clinton, a "breakfast group" he's involved in and how he likes the San Francisco Chronicle better than the Reno Gazette-Journal. Um, thanks for sharing. But somewhere in the middle, he got to his point. I think.
He was complaining about two articles that appeared two Sundays ago in the Tribune. One, a profile of Democratic Sen. Harry Reid, was written by my colleague, Willie Albright. The other was a story I wrote about the public information officers for the Washoe County Sheriff's Office and the Nevada Highway Patrol. To quote from this man's letter (to get the full effect, I suggest imagining scowling, cranky dude, probably with body odor, shaking his fist), "They (the stories) read exactly like press releases, with scarcely a word changed and no questions asked."
Uh, no.
Willie's story was a candidate profile of Democratic Sen. Harry Reid, and the letter writer felt Willie was too soft on Reid because he did not include anything about the controversial Dell Webb land deal (which we've covered extensively). To quote Willie: "He (the letter writer) can blow it out his snout."
As for my story, I felt that the tough jobs and experiences that Sgt. Bob Towery and Trooper Tony Almaraz have would make for an interesting piece. No press releases involved, thanks. And the story was well-received, for the most part.
As far as I can figure, the letter writer was pissy because I did a positive article about something involving the government. In a way, this is understandable; the government does not have a great track record lately. Just look at Clinton, the Reno City Council and the Nevada Republican Party for evidence of government gone gonzo.
But that does not mean everyone involved in government is bad and evil, does it? Definitely not. There are still many great, hardworking people that are "public servants," and I'd count Almaraz and Towery among them. But I guess the letter writer wanted me to try and dig up some dirt on Towery or Almaraz and grill them or something.
Note to Mr. Letter Writer: You've been watching too much "Hard Copy." Calm your bad self down and have a freaking Coke, for crying out loud.
I guess this is the same mentality that makes people hate all police officers. Everywhere you go, cops are getting bashed. Rap artists aren't the only anti-police group; many private citizens would not hesitate to call a cop a dirty name. Even in Hollywood, cops get screwed over; I mean, that whole Erik Estrada/CHiPs thing was just uncalled for.
Anyway, I went on a ride-along with a Sparks police officer last Friday night; as the crime beat reporter for this newspaper, I thought it would be a good experience. I learned several valuable lessons, one being -- and I can not emphasize this enough -- it is not wise to drink three sodas shortly before the ride-along starts. Policemen get busy and often can't make pit stops.
I also learned how dangerous a police officer's job is. It was a "slow night," officers said, yet I witnessed several situations that made me a nervous. At one point, we went to a cheap motel where a man -- very drunk with a history of violence against police officers -- said he wanted to go to jail. The situation was resolved peacefully, but who knows what could have happened.
Yeah, there are bad cops, and there are good cops that have really bad days and take it out on people. But it's that way with every profession.
So, forgive me if I write the occasional good story about a government official; chances are, if I do, that government official deserves it. But keep those stupid letters coming; the office needs a good chuckle once in a while
Jimmy Boegle, a fifth-generation Nevadan, is proud to say that no donuts were consumed during the development of this column. His column appears here Tuesdays.