I am writing in regards to an article published June 26th in the Yukon News about the Chicago couple who lost their dog outside the 202 Hotel.
The article describes an incident involving a local resident and a Chicago couple’s dog.
According to the article, the resident discovered and released the dog from the back of the couple’s vehicle.
I found the way the story was written and reported on to be highly inappropriate.
First, I wonder as to the necessity of noting the accused man’s name five times.
The article goes out of the way to mention the man charged, but does not once mention what he is charged with.
It seems to me that the reporter is more interested in making an example of someone than of covering a story.
Second, two of the three quotes supposedly made by the accused are being said by the Chicago couple.
Third-person references by obviously upset individuals are not reliable sources.
No post-secondary institution would accept them as credible.
I also wonder whether it was necessary to twice print swear words. Is this what passes for good reporting? That someone would use them in a newspaper article causes me to seriously question the competence of the reporter.
Opening a vehicle that does not belong to you and removing an animal that also does not belong to you is not acceptable.
However, there were a number of people around that vehicle listening to the crying dog.
It was never confirmed that the man named by the Chicago couple was in fact the culprit.
The fact that it was his birthday made him easy to identify, not necessarily responsible. That he had the collar in his house is also not proof of his guilt, as more than one person returned with him to continue celebrating.
Finally, leaving not one but two animals overnight outside a bar in a strange town cannot be said to be the best idea.
While the 202 does not have pet-friendly rooms, the Best Western Gold Rush, the Yukon Inn, both Westmark Hotels and the Stratford Inn do.
It seems to me that a truly dog-loving couple would have thought to check other hotels before deciding to leave their pets in a truck after a long drive.
I hope that in the future, newspaper articles are written with more care and less sensationalism.
A person’s reputation is easily ruined, but can be difficult to repair.
Care should be taken so as not to do unnecessary damage to undeserving individuals.
Laura Gohl
Whitehorse