Palmetto Proving Grounds

I posted a link here the other day that I sent to Mark Lett, Executive Editor of The State paper. Today, I actually got a response from him and because of the way he answered, I responded back again. I thought you guys might like to see what he had to say.

By the way, I deleted the links so as not to create any additional traffic.

To Whom it may concern:
I will no longer buy, nor read The State newspaper as long as Ron
Morris is employed as a columnist.

Thank you,
My Name

On Thu, Oct 13, 2011 at 5:30 PM, CS sportsfeedback
sportsfeedback@thestate.com wrote:
Thank you for sharing your opinion about The State and its sports columnist.
Each day, as you know, The State tells readers about the good, the bad, the
glad and the sad in our community. It is a mixture of fact and opinion, a
blend of objective information as well as commentary and points of view.

I understand that you have a point of view about the work of our sports
columnist. Perhaps your view is based upon something you have heard. Perhaps
it is based upon specific article(s).

I thought it might be useful to share with you some articles which - by any
reckoning - identify positive aspects of the USC athletics program. These
aren't intended to be defensive, but rather a broader reflection of Ron's
work. I take your concerns with the seriousness intended and appreciate you
sending them.

Following is a sampling of recent articles by Ron Morris. Each was published
this year.

Sincerely,
Mark Lett
Executive Editor

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Dear Mr Lett,

I appreciate the fact that someone bothered to answer me, whether it's a form letter or not. You have included links to 7 of Ron's columns but as I stated in my first letter, I will not read them. Seven articles out of thousands doesn't change my mind. I read him for YEARS not just a sampling before I finally decided to not read him again. What you did by sending me links to his crap was try to create traffic at my expense, and I now am even more determined that I will no longer purchase your paper.

The State is a paper local to Columbia, which is the heart of Gamecock Country and whether you like it or not, this paper needs to lean slightly towards favoring Gamecock sports. That's not to say you should be "pumping sunshine" all the time, but it does mean that it's ok to NOT constantly berate the football program, it's players, or it's coach. You are more than welcome to hide behind the guise of "journalistic integrity" if you like, but that integrity won't feed your kids when the paper shuts down from lack of sales and lack of advertisers.

I support Coach Spurrier's decision to not take questions from Ron Morris or answer questions in his presence. So now you have two options: keep sending him and allow his presence to cause a disruption, or pull him back and let somebody else take over. Keep your journalistic integrity or keep your readers. Only you can decide which is more important to the life of your newspaper.

Thank you,
My Name