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Letter: Journalists go to events to report, not referee

This letter writer argues columnist Kirk LaPointe was doing his job when he wrote about a recent public spat in West Vancouver rather than trying to break it up
North Shore News Staff
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A journalist should be an observer, not a referee, this letter writer says in reference to a recent public spat in West Vancouver that was covered by columnist Kirk LaPointe. | simonkr/E+/Getty Images

Dear Editor:

RE: Letter: West Van Councillor Wants to Move Past 'Media Circus' 

I believe the responsibility of a reporter is to convey information to readers in as factual manner as possible. Coun. Linda Watt implied in her letter that Kirk LaPointe should have become an active participant in the altercation he described in his July 26 column, Shouting Match Caps Off Drama-Filled West Van Evening.

I assume he was there to report on the events of the evening rather than to act as a referee. It sounds like most of the participants in this unseemly melee should have been red carded and sent off the field!

Fran Ashdown
North Vancouver