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‘Pre-Carnival’ headline based on facts, truth

At the recent Keweenaw Economic Development Alliance meeting for local business and community leaders, Michigan Technological University President Glenn Mroz presented a letter to the attendees written by Brian Kass of the Blue Key Honor Society stating its disappointment in the “Pre-Carnival Drug Bust” headline published in the Feb. 4 edition of The Daily Mining Gazette, and that the headline was an “unfair characterization of the Winter Carnival” and that “the article had absolutely nothing to do with Winter Carnival.”

There was journalistic logic, not malice, that formed the headline:

1. There is an annual Winter Carnival held in Houghton/Hancock.

2. On Feb. 2, two days prior to the start of the Winter Carnival, police executed a search warrant in Houghton and arrested a person who was charged with possession of marijuana and prescription drugs laced with acid.

Based on those two facts alone, the headline is accurate. Yet this letter, which is printed on the next page, accuses this newspaper of tarnishing the reputation, undermining the image of the Winter Carnival and implying the drug bust had something to do with the carnival.

The only information that “Pre-Carnival” implies is exactly that: It happened just before the carnival. It solely provided a time context. It informed readers when the news happened, which is one of the five W’s of news reporting (the other four being What, Who, Why and Where, which it also indirectly described).

If this bust occurred in Hancock two days before Heikinpaiva, the headline could have been “Pre-Heikinpaiva.” If it occurred the night before Christmas anywhere, it could have been “Christmas Eve Drug Bust” It would not have tarnished the celebration of Heikinpaiva or Christmas.

They are correct that the article had nothing to do with Winter Carnival. The carnival is covered extensively in other articles by the paper. However, can it be linked? Possibly… The subject who was arrested is an MTU student. Court documents show his address to be 1400 Townsend Drive, the address of MTU. Police declined a request by Gazette reporter Garrett Neese for the exact location of the raid as the case is still open, but a search warrant is specific to a particular address.

It is probably not coincidental that after a month-long investigation, the warrant was executed just before Winter Carnival, which would certainly be less disruptive to attendees than if it was done during the week. Plus, police believe they took a drug dealer off the street, and it’s a good bet that there were less people at Winter Carnival tripping on acid. The police should be commended for their good judgment in making a pre-Carnival raid.

In a curious response to the headline, the letter circulated was a petition — not protesting the headline but supporting Blue Key in its “mission of making Winter Carnival a positive experience for everyone,” which accompanies the Kass guest column.

You’ll find our publisher’s name on that petition.

We’re a Copper Club sponsor of Winter Carnival, OK?

A Daily Mining Gazette editorial

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