NEW YORK
Shawangunk Journal
Editorial
I finally saw this year’s Oscar-winning Best Picture, Spotlight, all about the Boston Globe’s lengthy and airtight investigation into the predator priest scandals that have racked the Catholic Church, and especially the ways in which dioceses were part of a systemic cover up. One leaves the theater reminded of the continuing importance of journalism as a key tool of not only democracy, but the maintenance of human decency. But also of the difficulties involved in the job.
Three things shone through for me and others I know who are in this business. First, the frustrations involved in getting things right when dealing with truly serious stories. Sometimes you have to hold on to smaller pieces of information, and keep working one’s material to get at something bigger. Other stories happen which force one to put the story dearest to one’s heart on hold. And thirdly, we are all human, and all prone to letting big news connections slip by us because we don’t recognize their importance, or can’t handle them at certain points in our lives. Yet with work and honesty, they do find the light of day, eventually.
In other words, finding and telling truths is an ongoing process. It takes time.
All of this reminds us of some of the bigger stories that have surfaced around here in recent years, as well as some that need the attention of a full investigative team… or at least enough time and smarts to make them work. And how with each of these stories, there are subjects that look forward, as well as those that if followed overturn our shared pasts. And convoluted presents.
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