Facebook debacle became news when it became public

Opinion

Related Photos

Raymond Linex II is publisher of the Daily Sun.

Discussion

January 25, 2012

By Raymond Linex II Corsicana Daily Sun The Corsicana Daily Sun Wed Jan 25, 2012, 05:15 PM CST

By now, you have likely read, discussed or overhead details pertaining to Hooper-Hocker-gate. Unfortunate situation, we likely all can agree.

A Facebook posting made by an individual who had every right to make it got a response from someone who should have just kept to himself. It made the newspaper.

Did it deserve to? Some say no. Then again, some want what only they consider news in the paper, nothing more, nothing less.

The story in a nutshell (as if you haven’t already heard): local business owner Rick Hocker posts, or claims someone else posts, to his Facebook account that he will be eating in “crappy Corsicana” one day last weekend. Paul Hooper, executive director of the Corsicana-Navarro County Area Chamber of Commerce, takes offense to the post, fires back on Hocker’s personal page from his personal account, and asks Hocker why he just doesn’t leave town if he hates it so much. Again, the story in a nutshell.

Who cares? I certainly didn’t. At first. What Hocker and Hooper do in their own time is their business, and I wouldn’t have wasted one second trying to get to Hocker’s page to see what the fuss was about.

But that’s where this story, well, becomes a story.

The comment, response, and subsequent responses afterward became public domain. Someone posted the comments onto the Daily Sun’s Facebook, and then Hocker himself chimed in on the comments section of Hooper’s Sunday column on www.corsicanadailysun.com. Hooper then admitted he said as much.

When you hold a position of public responsibility, such as Hooper, you alone are responsible for actions such as his. He has admitted he made a mistake, and vowed not to repeat it. Hocker, as you can read in several places, hasn’t been willing to let the issue go, and that, again, is his right.

Enter the dilemma of a smalltown newsroom. I’ll cut to the chase for you: report on a highly-visible public official charged with taking care of local businesses telling a local business owner to get out of town in a public fashion, and we’re spreading gossip; or, on the other hand, ignore it, and we’re catering to the cronyism of old school Corsicana, you know, the one that’s responsible for our lack of growth and businesses moving out of town.

When a prominent local businessman insinuated to me Monday morning that we would be vilified for one of those options, I quickly corrected him: “No, we can’t win either way.”

Damned if we do, damned if we don’t.

So we reported what happened.

What followed was healthy, and not so healthy debate primarily through social media, including several comments about the newspaper’s role in recruiting businesses to town. We could assist, it’s often said, through, well, let’s call what it is … burying the bad news. I would politely suggest that if ABC Co. can make a buck, it will be in Corsicana.

If the fire chief blatantly starts a 5,000-acre wildfire that stresses personnel and destroys property, is it newsworthy? If a city treasurer embezzles $50,000, is it news? If I am arrested for stealing Dallas Morning News racks from the corner convenience store, is it news?

Ask 20 people around town, or on Facebook, and you might think 20 yeses would ring out. But after the response to this story, maybe not.

Do I stand behind the decision to report the story? Hell, I made the decision.

If Hocker and Hooper refused to talk to us about it, we may not have had a story. But they both did. One thing is for sure, had it never been aired in a public forum, it certainly wouldn’t have been a story.

-----

Raymond Linex II is Publisher of the Corsicana Daily Sun. His column appears on Thursdays. He may be reached by email at rlinex@corsicanadailysun.com. Want to “Soundoff” on this column? Email: soundoff@corsicanadailysun.com

Text Only

Opinion

‘Hatfields & McCoys’ should be good TV
Finally, something worth setting the DVR for looms. But it may not come to that. Monday, the History Channel debuts three nights of its new miniseries “Hatfields & McCoys.” Got a feeling I’ll be watching this one without the wife.

May 23, 2012 1 Photo
And so spake The Little Woman...
Well, where to begin. As previously noted in this space The Big Kahuna (my answer to The Little Woman) deigned to afford me some rebuttal space to comment on the human condition as it pertains to husbands, so here goes.

May 22, 2012 1 Photo
Back in the Day
When the last part of the month of May rolls around, I can’t help remembering some of the experiences seniors and their teachers and sponsors shared while preparing for graduation ceremonies at Irving High School back in 1990’s.

May 21, 2012 1 Photo
The Deal
I would have thought by now it’d be pretty simple — perhaps even automatic.
But no.
There are still those who “walk among us” (credit to Jody Dean for that one) who still apparently cannot read or understand simple words, street signs and signals.

May 21, 2012 1 Photo
Approaching dogs scientifically
A research project on whether or not yawns are contagious across species lines has been conducted and it shows that dogs will yawn if their people yawn first, according to an article in the Washington Post.

May 21, 2012 1 Photo
Storm story has happy ending
Most folks I’ve spoken with this week have their storm stories, as do I.
I talked to a slew of folks who had tree and limb damage. Some were philosophical, while others were angry. I’m not sure who there is to be angry at when it’s the weather.
Reminds me of that Persian king Xerxes, whose pontoon ships were sunk in a storm so he ordered his men to go down and beat the sea with chains and poles. It’s a waste of time and effort to get mad at weather.

May 12, 2012 1 Photo
Adventures of an intrepid reporter
You know, they say you have to be somewhat “throwed” to work for a newspaper.
I’m here to tell you, it sure helps.
Reporters have to run out and cover wrecks, fires, hostage situations, bomb scares, and the like. Fortunately, we don’t have an unusually high amount of that going on around here.

May 12, 2012 1 Photo
Nearing Home
Last week the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association met in Chicago and chose Billy Graham’s new book “Nearing Home” as the “2012 Best Christian Book of the Year.” Dr. Graham turned 93 in November of last year.

May 10, 2012 1 Photo
Riding High saddles up Saturday for second year
You don’t have to ride to enjoy this horse show. Realistically, your feelings for horses matters very little. If you happen to get a kick out of them, and love children, When Are We Going Home? Ministries has the perfect play date for you.

May 9, 2012 1 Photo
Marriage counseling
Socrates once said, “By all means marry. If you get a good wife, you’ll be happy. If you get bad one, you’ll become a philosopher.” I hold myself up as the antithesis of this statement because I could never have been blessed with a mate better than The Little Woman

May 8, 2012 1 Photo
More Opinion Headlines

Opinion

Search Results

Related Photos

Discussion

Facebook debacle became news when it became public

Site Map

Contact Us