A great story, with facts
I went to journalism school just after the Watergate scandal had toppled a crooked president. There wasn't one among us who didn't want to become a crusader-journalist such as Robert Woodward or Carl Bernstein, because, for awhile at least, newspaper reporters were national heroes.
In an attempt to bridle our frothing enthusiasm, a grizzled editing professor hung a sign that read, "Why mess up a good story with facts?" It was his way of reminding us that reporters are obligated to find out as much as we can, especially when one more question might put the subject in a new light, and turn what we hoped to be our own Watergate blockbuster into an everyday item, and not such a big story after all.
We were reminded of this slogan time and again over the past few weeks. We followed Emprise Bank's controversial plan to build a drive-through in downtown Hillsboro as it wove its way through the labyrinth at city hall.
When the bank's request was passed, 4-2, by the Hillsboro planning commission, we discovered that some, if not all, of the commissioners who voted for the plan also had some type of relationship with Emprise Bank; they bank there, or have a relative who banks there, or work for a business that banks there.
Good story!
But with a few more questions we discovered that the planning commissioners who voted against the proposal also bank at Emprise, and they received no pressure from the bank of any kind whatsoever.
The planning commission chairman acknowledged, in retrospect, that it might have been better for commissioners to divulge their ties to Emprise for the record before the vote. But he rightly pointed out that in a small town like Hillsboro, many citizens who volunteer their time have cross-ties and wear different hats, depending on the day, and nobody gives it a second thought. So, there was no conflict of interest, per se.
OK.
Then how about this story:
The bank drive-through would take seven parking slots from downtown Main Street, including three slots from the business next door, Prudent Tours, owned by Hillsboro native Hank Wiebe.
Good story!
But with a few more questions we discovered that Wiebe had no rancor. He had suffered no ill treatment. The bank had been working with him to come up with some sort of compromise. And besides, Prudent Tours does its banking at Emprise, too.
OK.
Then how about this story:
Emprise Bank president Bob Watson was quoted in a Hillsboro City Council meeting that regardless of how the council voted on its drive through proposal, Emprise still planned to tear down the bank-owned building next door.
Good story!
But, with more questions, we discovered in an hour-long interview with Watson that he never intended his comment to be taken as a veiled threat, and that it had been misconstrued.
Furthermore, any notion that Watson was acting at the behest of the big, bad, billion-dollar Emprise Bank was put to rout when, in the process of asking more questions, we learned Watson is a longtime community leader who served many years on the school board, and the hospital board, and had been president of the chamber of commerce.
Fact is, he cares a lot about Hillsboro, and the future of downtown. And as far as Emprise Bank being some sort of billion-dollar bully, he rightly pointed out that in Hillsboro, Emprise Bank is made up of about 15 employees, many of them Hillsboro natives who have lived here all their lives.
OK.
But what about this story:
The Hillsboro City Council will rubber-stamp the planning commission's recommendation to allow the bank to proceed.
Good story!
But the fact is, as council member Matt Hiebert said, "We have minds of our own." There was no rubber stamp. Instead, the council listened to the barrage of phone calls it received from citizens who opposed the plan.
This past week, the council voted 4-0 against the proposal.
True to his word, the bank president did not fight the decision. He told the council that the bank had no intention of hurting downtown, or a downtown business; and that it would instead try to come up with Plan B.
Just think.
If we had stopped asking so many questions, we would have had a good story
So often in the quest for good stories the press rolls over ordinary and honest people, trying to do the best they can.
Yes, sometimes there are bad guys; Darth Vader is out there.
But not this time.
Not in Hillsboro.
The government worked.
Not everyone was happy, but nobody claimed they were treated unfairly, because anyone who wanted to weigh in on the matter had a voice in the decision-making process.
As it turned out, by asking more questions, we didn't get any of those good stories.
Instead, we got a great one.
— GRANT OVERSTAKE
