In the writing and reporting profession, the "people's right to know" is never taken lightly. But what does
it mean to you as a reader?
At its root, the "people's right to know" means transparency and openness in government -- it means that
you have the right as a citizen to know what your government is doing.
In writing circles, the phrase applies beyond government. When a sensitive story comes across our desk,
we discuss the merits of publishing it by weighing the "people's right to know" against the needs of those
we're writing about. It's a never-ending discussion. What stories are worthy of our readers? And yet, we
still find that some of you don't agree with our decisions.
Two stories in this issue made me think about the "people's right to know." One of them features three
courageous individuals who survived shark attacks, and then had to learn to deal with intense media coverage.
The other story features a young man's struggle with obesity.
I must admit our shark story made me feel a little hypocritical. I have never been good at pack journalism,
and our story talks about a hounding media obsessed with sharks and survivors. And yet, here we were, doing a
story about them, too.
Why? The answer for me was embodied in the words of a song written by one of the survivors, and quoted in our
article: "I know that I'm different now, but that's OK."
All three survivors are still recovering. It has been a long process for them, one that has largely taken
place away from the media spotlight. I will let you decide if this is a story we should be telling.
The same goes for our story on Dan Coda, who didn't want to tell anybody what was going on with him, not
even his family. His struggle against obesity has been a personal journey, perhaps not "sexy" enough to
warrant media attention. But obesity is a problem that plagues millions. In sharing his story, Coda is giving
all of us the opportunity to learn from his experience.
He's decided it's time to share his story. And we're grateful for that. Because the people have a right to
know.
Aloha,
Ignacio Lobos
Editor