Dear Editor:
Since I moved out of the Town of Rimbey about eight years ago I have come to rely much more on the Rimbey Review to keep me informed on local news. I am increasingly disappointed with some of the letters and articles that have been printed in this paper over the last three or four years.
With all due respect, I am tired of the name calling, bashing and completely immature, hostile, misleading and some poorly researched “facts” aka hearsay, that has been allowed to be printed in this paper. It may seem contrary on what I am saying by how I am saying it, but really why has this been allowed to go on for so long?
Some years ago I wrote a letter to the editor of this paper (not the current editor) about the condition of some terribly kept apartments for rent in Rimbey. I used a sarcastic approach to a serious problem. After reviewing the letter, the editor at the time found it to be overly harsh and direct. I was asked to edit out some details that positively identified one of the landlords involved. I respected the direction the editor was taking and amended the letter without question and in the process I learned a lesson about tact. My letter still made its point without public insult to those directly involved but they knew who they were enough that it created a response.
I am not arguing the freedom of speech issue, the right to an opinion or the fact that people of wrong doing need to be exposed. In fact, I wholeheartedly support speaking out against wrong doings and for matters of the heart but there are right ways and wrong ways of going about it. The right ways bring about effective change for the betterment of a person, project or community; the wrong ways can have devastating snowball effects, ruin good people, divide communities and leave ghost towns.
I feel strongly that this newspaper may have forgotten how influential and critical local newspapers are to their community in print or online; how they can directly hurt or help any given situation; How focusing more on good community news can make such a positive difference and increase positive community involvement on every level.
I read a letter a few months back written by a lady who was giving kudos to a gentleman who helped her grandmother during a power outage in town. I thought it was so refreshing to read after all we have been subjected to of late, that I let even her know that.
To others I also said it would be nice to see more of that, that maybe the paper should have an unsung hero column or positive quote column or something that would be uplifting instead of so depressing. This is not the dark ages; we are not Neanderthals but civilized, educated human beings for the most part and there is no time like the present to act like it. Being a part of the solution is better than being a part of the problem. A strong foundation in unity makes a strong community — I think we all know that. I feel that this paper’s job should be to support that concept rather than consistently appearing to have provided a stage for those egos and revenge seekers who love to perform without little thought or respect to consequence, (outside their own personal agendas) or without little thought or respect to the citizens of this community and surrounding areas.
Rhonda Pisanello,
RR4 Rimbey