I am deeply disturbed by the approach and tone of the July 25 article “Farmingdale man killed in ATV crash on Northern Ave.”

I have been reading the Kennebec Journal ever since learning to read. Your paper was handed down to me every morning, section by section, after my father had finished. Now that I live farther away, I read it while visiting.

I had always viewed it as the community newspaper serving the area where my values were instilled. This story, however, does a disservice to your paper. The values displayed in this article were disappointing and simply sickening. I understand the need to keep your readers informed, but, more importantly, I understand the virtues of compassion and empathy.

Two-year-old court records serve no significance nor do they add anything pertinent to this story. A beloved man is dead, and this is not the manner about which he deserved to be written.

A man is not characterized by his weakest moments and certainly should not be the only thing reported about upon his death. This article has done a disservice to the community it touts to serve. I am confident that the community where I grew up will embrace the Clark family, providing them fond memories and the love they deserve.

This disgraceful piece of journalism only deepens the pain for family and friends in mourning, and I consider myself to be a thoroughly disheartened friend of Jason “Clarkie” Clark and family.

May the Kennebec Journal reflect on what it means to write and report in a small community, where individuals are remembered and judged not by their mistakes but by the influences they have had on the people around them.

Casey E. Mealey

Greenville


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