I am writing to you today to express the deep displeasure. The inclusion of the Dawsey sisters in your publication was completely unwarranted. I do not know, nor do I wish to discuss, your legal understanding, but people are innocent until proven guilty. The publication you oversee and approve of has taken it upon themselves to publicly drag two girls through the mud and condemn them publicly without a single day in trial. Shame on you. If you wish to condemn people for charges how about you extend this “gift” to the entire campus rather than attempt to create an unnecessary scandal for the campus society. Not only has the Carrier attempted to bump your lackluster presence among your peers, but also you have been the major influence of ruining these girls’ reputations here on campus. Yes, it was published in the Rome and Coosa News, but the inclusion of their charges in the Berry Campus Carrier was completely uncalled for. 

The defamation of two girls based on legal charges brought against them is shameful if done so even before the trail begins. Now thanks to your work, they are infamous throughout campus and believed to be guilty before their trial has been set. However, the true shame of it comes from the fact that the girls are not even here to defend themselves. They are stuck hours away being detained before their hearing. If they even had access to the newspaper that would be one thing, but this article is a shot in the back of two girls who are struggling with one of the most difficult situations they are likely to face. The details and photos that were shared on the front page was and is disgusting. If you wish to be fair and share the gift of public knowledge evenly then why just include their pictures? Why not include the yearbook photos of those individuals who are busted for alcohol and drug violations, speeding and parking tickets, and other campus violations? Do we not have the same right to know their intimate details about the crimes of which they have been accused? Open further your journalistic eye to the atrocity you have created. Two kind girls with big dreams and even bigger hearts have been publicly disgraced through print and picture without having set foot in court. Shame on you for giving your stamp of approval to such a scandalous and defaming story. 

I would also like to bring to your attention the mass displeasure felt around the campus for your actions and publication. I understand that our campus is not always the most socially active and thus you feel the innate desire and primordial need to write exposés on pumpkins and traffic tickets, but that does not give you the right to defame the reputation of two of your fellow Berry students. Not that you care. I am under the impression, along with many others that this is a simple political move. Through situations such as this, the Carrier is attempting to create a scandal, increase their readership and legitimacy as a Berry operation, and futilely regain good graces with SGA. However, this is not the method that anyone would recommend. By publicly disgracing Berry students, the students representation in SGA is not likely to look kindly upon these types of actions. Now, I would recommend that you go back and do what you are good at. Simply stated, publishing redundant, and often unread, articles on campus fashion or the lack thereof, pumpkins, and past CE credits. Maybe doing this you will remain slightly relevant and not a stigmatized source of scandal that is daily pushing yourself deeper into disgrace. 

While I understand that you cannot retract this article, I wish to express my deep concern for you all to make this right. While I admit my lack of knowledge about the journalistic process, I do however understand how to behave respectfully in tense and unsettled situations. I hope that you all find a way to right the way in which you presented it to the public. 

Regards,

Chase Doscher, Junior