Investigative story was not accurate
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
To the Editor: There is only one reason I buy the Record Review anymore: So I can fact check the inaccurate reporting and respond.
In the Sept. 7, 2022, edition, the investigative report about criminal justice issues ended with this statement: “It was local supervisor Chris Dickinson, Stratford, who wordsmithed the county rule approved earlier this year talking about the county justice system providing “fair and impartial administration of justice.” But would Dickinson respond to questions about whether the county was following the very rule he drafted? The supervisor said he had no comment.”
This is inaccurate, and misrepresents the truth.
First, I did not draft the rule. The language was pre-existing within the responsibilities of the Diversity Affairs Commission. The County Board’s Rules Review Committee proposed moving those responsibilities into the seven Standing Committees if/when Diversity Affairs was disbanded.
Second, I did not edit the rule in any meaningful way to suggest I drafted it. When Diversity Affairs was disbanded by the County Board in April 2022, I edited the text to make it consistent with other responsibilities in the code. I reduced “Periodically review programs, services, and justice system related data…” to “Evaluate programs and services…” Simple.
Third, I explained all of this to you, the editor, in two emails June 14, 2022, after you requested comment on your upcoming story. Yet, you still wrote the article telling you I drafted it and it implies I am perhaps obligated to comment on it and derelict in my duties if I didn’t.
I think the customers who patronize the Record Review – and those mentioned in their articles –deserve truthful, properly represented, trustworthy news reporting. They did not get it here. How many other examples are there?
One final note. While I have no comment on this story, I will comment that I do support the U.S .Constitution including the Sixth Amendment, which secures the right to a fair and speedy trial. This is precisely why, after speaking with and listening to Marathon County DA Theresa Wetzsteon in 2020 and 2021, I helped champion support for additional staff in the Marathon County prosecutor’s office, which the county board passed within the last budget.
Chris Dickinson Stratford Editor’s response. We stand by our reporting. Our story “Is This The Face of Justice?” said you “wordsmithed” the county board rules regarding the responsibilities of the Public Safety Committee and, as you yourself acknowledge in your letter, you did just that. Moreover, you didn’t just suggest language changes, but made the motion to have the county board vote on the rule you helped draft. You voted for your own motion.
(https://www.co.marathon. wi.us/Portals/0/Departments/ MCB/Archives/County%20Board/ Board%20of%20Supervisors/2022/ COBD_20220419_Minutes.pdf) The facts here are simple. You declined to comment to this newspaper on the implementation of a county board rule you helped draft that lists the responsibilities of the Public Safety Committee. Our story was truthful. We will let you and the general public decide whether your “no comment” was a dereliction of duty.
