The people of Malibu expect fair and balanced coverage of our City Council from your newspaper. Instead, The Malibu Times appears to censor letters supporting our council’s extraordinary efforts to preserve 20 acres in the heart of our city in favor of giving banner coverage to one-sided attacks from would-be council challengers.
It is deeply wounding to see the selfless and noble efforts of our city council volunteers disparaged by your coverage. These are five people who are working themselves to the bone every day and night of the week without pay, making great sacrifices and missing time with their families, appealing to total strangers, associations and businesses to donate money to acquire a vast park as a legacy to our children’s future. Because of their deep and heartfelt dedication and love of our town, they’re working 24/7 to make this dream a reality. Why don’t you consider reporting on the 90 percent of eternally grateful residents who are far too smart to kick a gift horse in the mouth and who recognize the magnificence of their efforts?
Last week, I faxed and e-mailed a brief letter encouraging donations to Malibu’s Central Park and marveling at the charity of thousands of donors coming together to achieve a shared dream. Your decision to print four partisan jeremiads leveled against our elected officials with the same old baseless allegations of mismanagement is your choice. But engaging yellow journalism and omitting letters presenting the other side of an issue is not your option. The “free press” or third estate is a public trust and we expect objectivity.
Anne Hoffman
Editor’s Note: We try to print all the letters we receive without regard to content. Because of space limitations, some letters are held over, as was Hoffman’s first letter.