Occasionally, we hear from individuals we have written about or profiled. Usually, it’s a quick telephone call or an e-mail to say, essentially, “Thanks, loved the story. So did my family and friends.”
But the e-mail we received from Spencer Scott of Portsmouth, whose daughter, Aurora, was profiled in a front-page story last Sunday, was special. Aurora is America’s fastest 11-year-old girl.
Scott’s missive to staff writer Louis Hansen and photographer Martin Smith-Rodden drove home the impact that a positive story can have — not just on the subject, but on others. Especially in times of tragedy.
I’d like to share Scott’s thoughts. And I’m going to largely let his e-mail do that:
“We were on the way to practice in Virginia Beach on Sunday morning. We stopped at 7-Eleven for more Gatorade and to grab a newspaper. I envisioned thumbing through the pages to find this little article with some good Smith-Rodden shots. . . .
“All of a sudden, Aurora screams, `Oh, no! My picture is on the front page like I’m a terrorist or something!’
“I turned my head to focus on this cause of commotion. And I can honestly say that my heart skipped a few beats. Aurora retorted, `See what you and mommy have done. Why did you have to let them know about me?’ ”
Scott recalled reading the story out loud, and seeing his daughter’s horror turn to curiosity.
“This was a story we all knew, but somehow we were all engaged in listening to this story as if we had never known these people,” he wrote.
“As Aurora ran the trails in the Seashore Park,” Scott said, “there were shouts of encouragement from runners and walkers and those just out there to enjoy that day. Some strangers just shouted, `Aurora!’ Others spoke vibrantly, `Oh, Aurora, we really loved the article.’
“A man visiting from the Washington area greeted her with excitement, saying that he had read the article and was motivated by it to come out running that morning. He stated that he had met a number of people who said they were out because they were motivated by the article. As we went through the day, so many people, young and old, said that they loved the article and felt good and, indeed, optimistic, after reading it.
“So maybe people who do the newspaper do get it right once and awhile and, on occasion, do a real service to the psychological health of us all. At a time when we all feel a great sense of loss for those who have suffered in the events of Sept. 11, new fears and insecurities have found their way into our everyday lives. With this change, we have found new reasons to hug, to love and cherish our children, family and friends.
“Your article was a . . . tale about a child’s hopes and aspirations, a profile in courage and a lesson in the value of discipline, a story about parents who are maybe both overzealous and caring.
“Thanks for letting us and so many people in the community awake to a Sunday surprise. . . . Thanks for letting us escape the evils of (Osama) bin Laden, preoccupations and worries of today, to the America we knew before Sept. 11: the land of Saturday soccer, baseball games and fast evil midgets who will stop at nothing to win!”
[View a slide show about Aurora Scott by clicking here.]
Slamming the Muslims: Some Pilot readers thought — justifiably so — that a Sept. 25 front page headline (“Muslim youth trained to be stealthy and loyal to death”) went too far.
“Sounds as though it means all Muslim youth, which we know is not true,” said Kate Sterling.
“Right at the very time that we’re trying very hard to keep innocent American citizens who happen to be of the Muslim faith from being beaten and their mosques defaced and so on, we get this generalized headline,” said Ellis James.
“What were they thinking?” asked James. “That headline just absolutely targets everybody. Ninety-nine and nine-tenths of them (Muslims) do not subscribe to kill Americans, kill Jews, kill everyone in sight.”
Sterling wondered if the headline could have been written “more sensitively.”
The answer is yes.
James offers a solution: “I wouldn’t have had a problem with the headline if it had said `Terrorist youth trained to be stealthy and loyal to death,’ ” he said.
James’ and Sterling’s point is akin to one I frequently made years ago when editors routinely used “Blacks” in headline as a substitute for black groups.
A black group would agree to support a particular candidate and the next morning’s headline would begin, “Blacks support. . . ”
The paper has a responsibility to avoid contributing to a climate of ignorance and misunderstanding when it comes to Muslims. It’s not true that a Muslim is a Muslim is a Muslim.
