Good Morning Everyone, Here's the thing about journalism, every single day you're walking a tight rope. Every story, every word has an impact, and true journalism sometimes means stepping away from the knee jerk emotion of a story and making a tough decision. Will this story do more harm than good? I worked hard yesterday to find sources that were willing to speak to Mr. L's character, and they did just that, but due to the background of the story WCTI made the difficult decision not to run with it. So, for now, they will not be posting the story on their website. Before anyone gets upset let me first say, that on some level, I agree with that decision. When I went into this it was to protect Mr. L's legacy, and not let the nature of this story drown out his previous actions. The children in this case did something very wrong, and if any of you noticed, I have never explicitly detailed what happened on this site. Those of you who supported the cause either did a little digging of your own, or had someone fill you in on the details. I let my emotions get the best of me, and wanted to get Mr. L's story out there, but along the way, I forgot that in journalism it's important to ask, "Who is this harming?" or better yet, "How is this helping?" Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? Those are the questions true journalists strive to answer. We work hard to do that for you with every word, in every story, but sometimes, we have to know when to stop, when to protect a source, and when to reign in coverage. There has been a lot of hate circulating in our society directed at journalists, and I'm asking you all to remember that when you watch national 24/7 news coverage you are signing yourself up to hear opinions based on facts, because trust me if they only said the facts there would be no way to stay on the air for all of that time. That's why they have "expert" guests. So next time you want to watch the news, start with your local channel, because they are there making the tough decision to tell only the facts, and protect the people in each and every story. Yesterday, I organized an effort to speak to a local "citizen" journalist about what it means to protect a victim, and I think he/she got the message. So as far as WCTI is concerned, the story didn't make air, but is that really so bad? They can't only tell one part, so they decided to err on the side of caution for Mr. L's sake. I will still be at that School Board Meeting, I'm asking those of you who can to please join me! Let's put a stop to Cyberbullies. Fight hate with love based on fact. We know what happened; we don't need to rehash, let's move forward with what can be done make it better! This is not a protest, it's a conversation about a broken system. Onslow County School Board Meeting: May 2nd, 6:30 PM at Blue Creek Elementary School What can you do right now, to make a difference? Be kind to one another. I'm suggesting that each of you hold one conversation with a stranger. Ask them about their lives, about their day, try to ask "Who, What, When, Where, Why and How?" Experience what it's like to be a journalist, then post what you learn about that person on Facebook. But remember, don't use their name just say this "story" is in response to this petition.