A colleague of ours once compared his role as reporter to that of a
teacher, standing in front of a classroom of children waving their
hands to be picked. The teacher can’t call on everyone, only a few. How
does he choose? What motivates the decision to pick one hand over the
other?

Our reporter colleague took this metaphor in one direction. We will take it in another.

However the teacher chooses – for base reasons like racism or sexism;
out of some sense of justice and fairness by keeping track of who has
been picked in the past or to make a point by picking the one kid in
the back who isn’t raising his hand at all – demonstrates a bias.

Tens of thousands of people live in the Sentry’s coverage range, yet
relatively few of you will ever be quoted in our stories. A very few of
you are quoted regularly. There are reasons for this bias – sometimes
it is the right and responsible thing to do and other times it is
simple ignorance. We quote city and town planners, school
superintendents and councilors because it is their job to have
expertise and opinions on many matters in the public sphere and they
are the keepers of the “official line.” We quote others based on the
elementary school adage about squeaky wheels getting grease (or to
stick with the original metaphor the one kid frantically waving his arm
and moaning as if in pain from not being picked).

Every day, several times a day, through email or phone calls people say
to us “you should do a story on this,” or “on me” or “on my daughter”
or “on my dog.” And we do. Sometimes. Sometimes we don’t. We have good
reasons for our decision, but it reveals a bias – we discriminate by
choosing one thing over another.

Once we do decide to follow a story, it’s not always apparent whom we
should speak to. Those oft-quoted public officials are just one voice,
one perspective – matters in the public sphere are bound to affect the
public, but whom?

Who we speak to and what they tell us will inform our ability to inform
you. Too often it is only after a story is published that we get a call
from a person who has information that would have balanced a story’s
bias. Rarely, if ever, in the Sentry has a story’s bias been borne out
of malice. We succeed at our job when we deliver the best possible
stories – informative, entertaining and balanced. To accuse us of
willful bias against a point of view is to accuse us of willfully doing
our jobs poorly.

Raise your hand and reach out to your editors and reporters at
news@inthesentry.com or by calling 282-4337. We want to call on you.

That the Sentry is delivered to every mailbox in our two communities
should persuade readers that it is an effective medium to reach your
neighbors about news and events that may be of interest to them. People
care what is going on in their neighborhood and good deeds and
impressive accomplishments ought to be trumpeted. We hope our coverage
contributes to that end and you can help ensure that it does.

You can also increase the amount of space in the Sentry for more
perspectives and opinions by telling business owners, whether on
Cottage Road, Broadway or in the Old Port that you read the Sentry and
they should advertise with us.