My Madison Park Times arrived in my mail yesterday. I am deeply disappointed by your headline, photo and accompanying article on the "shank" incident at Madrona [K-8] School.
As a resident of Madrona, with young children, I am acutely aware of the anxiety that parents feel in finding a school for their children.
The story portrays Madrona school as a hotbed of violence and danger. Madrona has some incredibly positive statistics that you could have chosen to print and reference in the headline, regarding academic performance and community involvement.
If you deemed the incident worthy of the front page, a more interesting story would have been to report on both the incredible achievements of Madrona students and the parent community and the "shank" incident. Perhaps that would lead to a thoughtful community discussion.
I learned this morning that you delivered a stack of your paper to Madrona school. It is difficult to think of a positive purpose that you intended to serve. How do you imagine the students [to] react to your headline?
The story was insensitively handled and undermining to the students, the parents and the community that support Madrona School.
I hope to see better journalism from the Madison Park Times in the future.
- Cynthia Stross, Madrona[[In-content Ad]]
