Haak-Frost: Holding ourselves and those in power accountable

Watershed Voice has never endorsed a political candidate, and we never will. It isn’t because we don’t have personal opinions or political beliefs, I assure you our staff and board have plenty of both. And if we ever sit down for a drink at the Riviera Theatre & Bar, I might just tell you about them.

But contrary to popular belief, we don’t do this work just for those we agree with, we do it for everyone. And I mean everyone. We’ve been called a few choice words over the last five years, both as a publication and individually, by people who don’t agree with the way we conduct our business, and who hail from every point on the political spectrum.

Most of the time it’s unwarranted and hateful. Other times, like one specific example we were made aware of last week, it rings true. We were accused of providing “toothless reporting,” interested more in being “fair and balanced” than fighting disinformation. While I don’t completely agree with that assessment, we certainly could have been better.

Our initial coverage of the “candid conversation” between Republican State Rep. Steve Carra and Democratic challenger Erin Shultes provided a brief overview of that conversation, focusing mainly on economic development and clean drinking water. What we didn’t address, at least not until the following day, was problematic and factually inaccurate statements made by Carra regarding the LGBTQIA+ community, and Three Rivers Pride. That should have been done from the jump, not two days later.

It’s our responsibility to combat disinformation and speak truth to power, even if sometimes that truth falls on deaf ears. We can’t endorse any candidate, as not only is it against our core values as a news agency but as a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization, it’s “strictly forbidden.” We can, however, add to the list of things we won’t endorse.

So let me say, unequivocally, that Watershed Voice does not endorse the use of hateful rhetoric, disinformation or the demonization of historically marginalized communities for any reason. We will address those transgressions if and when we encounter them in the course of our reporting, and continue to uplift voices that are often targets of such attacks.

When we started this publication back in 2020, it was my hope that we’d truly be a publication for the people, an ideal we’ve strived to realize every day since. We try our best to do things the right way, and we’re not afraid to rock the boat when necessary, but that doesn’t mean we don’t sometimes fall short.

We have very high standards for ourselves, and the work we do, and we will continue to reach for those standards on a daily basis. I would just ask that you give us a little grace if and when we don’t quite hit the mark, and know that we will do everything in our power to maintain that standard as often as possible.

Alek Haak-Frost is executive editor, publisher, and founder of Watershed Voice.