By DeeDee Wright

For last 30 years I have read the Salisbury Post and for the most part enjoyed what was written or reported. However, for the last four or five weeks I have noticed that the editor appears to have a bias against Mr. Kenny Hardin.

Mr. Hardin has a long history with the Post and he has written for the paper off and on since the 1990s; where did he go wrong in the eyes of the editor?

Two weeks ago the editor thought it important to report on only Mr. Hardin in a very negative way.  The editor thought it important to report that because of Mr. Hardin’s probing questions he was seen as not being a team player. I did not read anywhere in the Salisbury Post that when the mayor shushed a person speaking during public comments that warranted an editorial. I did not read in the Post when a council person took the gavel from the mayor and ruled a person out of order, and the mayor threatened to have that person removed for expressing their concerns about the crime in this city.

I did not see an editorial when another person spoke at council and was yelled at for asking a question. I think that the editor of this paper looked at this council election with a “jaundiced eye.” Mr. Hardin is a person that is unbought and unbossed. I have known Mr. Hardin for 25 years and I know that he is a man of character and has worked in his community and this city to make it a better place for all.

If the editor’s intention was to make sure that he was not re-elected, then you won the fight but lost the war. Mr. Hardin will be fine, he will continue to speak truth to power and he will continue to fight for what is right.

Not having Mr. Hardin on council may be a blessing. He still will have his bright mind and he is very talented, so his ability to get things done in this city could be the blessing. Mr. Hardin is now free to not couch his every word and not worry that someone’s feelings may be hurt. He will not have to worry about “scratch when he doesn’t itch or smile when nothing is funny.”

Finally, to add insult to your headline today (Nov. 8,2017) I’m not a student of journalism, but it was the first time I have seen a “double headline” in a newspaper. Noting the winners and saying Mr. Hardin lost, but to make sure that anyone who glanced the paper would know that he lost. Could that have been in the story along with the others who lost?

Maybe the headline could have been that “The Mayor Failed to Get a Majority of the Votes” and may not be re-elected mayor?

Biased reporting is ugly and I think that the Salisbury Post needs to check itself.

DeeDee Wright lives in Salisbury.

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