May 25, 2006

Headlines Aren't the Story

A note about our recent coverage in the Olympian. I have found Heather Woodward, the Olympian's education reporter to be accurate, careful, and professional. Don't just read the headline and assume the content of the article. Reporters do not write their headlines, just the content.
Notice in the May 24th article no one is quoted using either the words "protest" or "march". Heather did her job. But since other people write the headlines and sidebars, these terms appeared lending a more militant tone to our activity than we had hoped to convey. Always remember we are not attacking people or trying to damage relationships we have worked years building up. We can be honest and professional and strong advocates. That doesn't mean we'll always be pleasant, or appeased, but it does mean we are not going to lose sight of our many goals in the pursuit of one. Our position is a stand we need to be taking. But don't let the headlines tell the story of the actions we take. If and when we decide to protest, we'll do that. But that's what we'll call it. We called this a Wellness Walk because that's what it was; a chance for us to get healthy together and let the District see our position as demonstrated by a line of people 200 strong.

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