Published: May 25, 2008 01:32 am            

LETTERS: May 25, 2008

Cooper responds to Dodd opinions



Editor’s Note: Mr. Dodd has written columns based on his opinions for more than a decade. He is not a reporter or employed by the paper.



The Evening News columnist, Lindon Dodd, writes a lot of Opinions columns without ever personally verifying any of his sources of information. In this day and age, one would think a writer should at least talk to the person he constantly mentions in his articles.

Former reporter, Marc Meyer, would never write articles without substantiated information. Former editor, Tom Lindley, would not allow this current day “yellow dog” journalist under his watch. Today’s standards must allow reporters and columnists to write what they want without ever verifying any of their sources of information. Dodd’s pieces are nothing but a gossip column just like the “blogs” where people vent their frustrations under assumed names to hide their identity.

In his May 11 column, Dodd commented that Christina Gilkey should abstain from voting on insurance matters for the school board. Christina has been in the insurance business for over 15 years. Only a local columnist would ask an elected official not to use her expertise to help the taxpayers who elected her. If everyone who is in their late 30’s were like my niece, the world would be a better place.

In closing, my hope is that the management of The Evening News would have a small discussion with Lindon Dodd and make sure he stops his slanderous, uninformed criticisms of me (by the way, my name is Edward Culpepper Cooper. I once had an agreement with The Evening News to call me by the correct name).

I have never seen a news article that criticized my abilities as an insurance professional, business owner or citizen. Maybe Lindon should read all articles about me, so he can figure out by himself that I am very involved in the community. If this makes me controversial, so be it.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, “controversial” is “of or relating to controversy” and “controversy,” meaning “a discussion marked especially by the expression of opposing views.” Discussion requires one to be participatory, and I am proud to participate in my community personally, professionally and politically.

In the future, I hope that Mr. Dodd somehow finds the decency to begin verifying some of his sources before writing opinions about people or events with inaccurate information.

— Edward Culpepper Cooper, Jeffersonville

        

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