The Steamboat Pilot & Today: From the Editor: The hiring of Mark Mackey

The hiring of Mark Mackey

Posted by sstanford on April 26, 2007

We got a lot of feedback Wednesday about the Mark Mackey story.

The bottom line is that many readers felt we treated Mr. Mackey unfairly. I can understand that sentiment, but I don't think it's true.

Certainly Mr. Mackey's arrest on misdemeanor charges a year ago was unfortunate. Ultimately, the incident cost him his job as a police officer. There was news coverage at the time.

Had Mr. Mackey returned to another line of work, there would have been no reason to write a news story about it. However, his decision to return to law enforcement is, in my estimation, newsworthy.

The mistakes of our pasts can be magnified by the professions we choose. I certainly understand that as well as anyone. But I also am a believer that being upfront and honest about the past is the only way to move forward in the future.

I do not think Sheriff Wall made a mistake in hiring Mr. Mackey. And I think that he and Deputy Mackey spoke to the issue honestly and forthrightly in the story. Better to address the issue now, when Mr. Mackey was hired, than have to answer questions about it later.

Scott Stanford, Editor

sstanford@steamboatpilot.com

(970) 871-4221/(970) 291-9278

Comments

Posted by stmbtgrl20 on May 19, 2007 at 9:42 p.m.

Be as that may, your paper left out some pretty significant facts that helped portray Mark Mackey in a much more negative light. I hope that the Pilot doesn't make it a habit to humiliate others for making an honest mistake, as we all have done at some point in our lives, just to make for interesting news.