Due Diligence

On Friday, September 29, 2023, a situation happened that I almost could not believe.

To bring you, dear reader, up to speed, part of my job is updating Facebook on the internet. It is a duty the editorial staff shares. The object is to put new data or pictures online for the public to see and positively discuss what is happening in our community.

It should sound more interesting, but it can become extremely terse by posting a simple picture and explaining what is happening.

It has twice become a vile dogpile of negativity and excrement.

There are times when I don’t think it is worth doing in the times we currently live in.

However, this Friday was a harmless, simple picture of a Walmart symbol/mascot at the reopening celebration.

I was on-site to see the event, talked afterward to the store manager (nice person), a media person a couple of times the week before the event (including receiving emails for a press release and a nice person), and then a person with Human Resources to check the spelling of names on that press release and finally sending that story to be “fact-checked” because it had some wrong information in the initial press release,

This is called “due diligence,” a practice every reporter should work with, but people on social media do not have to.

Upwards to six levels of ensuring a story is factual to provide the best news possible, and I am not the only reporter at The Brazil Times who puts that amount of effort into creating the best product for our community.

So it is personal when we go to such lengths, and something still ends up wrong.

What was wrong? The photo caption read something like, “Brazil Walmart 1629 celebrates reopening as a Supercenter Friday morning.”

Someone quickly logged on and said it was not a “Supercenter” because the grocery part was not there.

I had left work to spend time with my family. Still, when notified of the numerous negative postings on Facebook, I left my family to correct the wording immediately. It was not enough; I think one message even said, “Too late, you’re wrong. The Times is always wrong.”

What truly bothered me was the amount of people logging on to defame The Brazil Times.

I love and am proud of my job, this community, and recording its history by working at the 135-year-old newspaper in this community.

Every negative comment posted was tarnishing the legacy of The Brazil Times and the lives of every employee, every editor, every reporter, and every newspaper delivery person who ever worked here. So, I logged back on and took responsibility personally - knowing full well I had done my due diligence and the proof was in my hands - I knew there was always a possibility I did miss something, and that means I can and will accept the blame for a mistake and stop the insistent “dogpile mentality.”

I was raised to have the dignity to admit I am wrong and become better.
It is not easy to do, but in my lifetime, it has always worked out for the better for me. As for social media, well, people seem to attack an entity without mercy but put a “face” to a situation; people tend not to rip on mistakes.

I have spent part of my Saturday and Sunday trying to figure out what went wrong. Honestly, it doesn’t matter. Everyone is human, and mistakes will happen as long as we are imperfect beings.

So, I rewrote my story, which was not published, and removed the Supercenter wordage on the photo information.

Not too long ago, an older man approached me and said, “Aren’t you that gal that writes for the paper?”

That always terrifies me because I can’t think of anything being said good in a situation like that, but the man surprised me that day.

“They made you editor, didn’t they?” I shook my head, explaining what a co-editor does while trying to figure out how to get out of the conversation nicely.

“Well,” he smiled big and patted my shoulder. “From what I have read, you sure are gutsy enough to do a good job. Keep writing, and I love your stories. I love the paper.”

Thank you, sir, I do too.