MyFoxColorado

Dear Mr. Mayor PLEASE READ THIS. Some free advice about the media.

Dear Citizens, decide for yourselves what's right or what's wrong.

"Rumors sell papers," Cox said. "My attorneys who walk in the
courtroom ... need witnesses and solid evidence. That's a big
difference."

That's what Attorney General Mike Cox says about recent claims concerning a rumored 2002 party with strippers at Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's official residence.

Cox's statement brings up an interesting point. What is the media's role in this situation? We can report the news and attribute the information to what a witness claims. In a court of law, a judge and a set of rules determines what's admissible. A good journalist always attempts to get eye-witness accounts of events, and a good journalist always attributes the information to the source, be it a witness, official or otherwise. The problem is, if the witness is lying, the damage done by the report may already be done.

It's important for a viewer or reader to pick on the attribution of a story before they make judgments, just as it is important for television stations and publications to make judgments on the sources before they publish or broadcast a story. "Considering the source" is vital.

In a court of law, witness testimony is only allowed if it's relevant to the trial, and it is also refuted by opposing attorney's. If the witness is lying they can be charged with perjury. That's important to understand.

But what's right is not always what's legal. It's not illegal to NOT help an old lady to cross the street, but it's probably the right thing to do. It's not illegal to witness a crime and say or do nothing about it, but it's the right thing to do. It may be not illegal to cheat on your wife, but it's not the right thing to do. Indeed even what's right and what's wrong can be debated, but there are certain standards most people adhere to.

In the end, there may be no formal charges filed against the mayor, or if there are, he may be acquitted of all of them. This does not necessarily mean that the mayor did nothing wrong, it's just that he did nothing illegal. The people will decide how he performed and express themselves best in the voting booth a year from fall.

The mayor blames the media for it's lynch mob mentality. Maybe that's true. But you make it easy to write headlines with your actions. How do you deal with this Mr. Mayor. I offer this free advice on how to deal with the media :

Get back to the business of the city. It's too bad that you ended your speech with a personal tirade. You had a great speech going, and could have changed the headlines. They may have looked like this: KILPATRICK FOCUSES ON MOVING CITY FORWARD, IGNORES GROWING CONTROVERSY. Indeed what you laid out in your speech was all about the business of the city, until the end, then it became about the your business. Take the tirade out of your speech and I for one would have written "Mayor takes high road".

Asking the media to leave you alone will not work. Fair or not, you just threw gasoline on the fire. Whoever is advising you should be fired, for either giving you bad advice or not being strong enough to stop you from hurting yourself. Call me if you want some real media advice, I am happy to offer it as I would like to see the business of the city become the headline. This will not happen until this controversy is addressed.

The media should be debating the pros and cons of the 300-million dollar bond plan (by the way we are), not the party. Want to help the media to do that, then only talk about specific issues of the city OR answer all controversy questions once and for all and be done with it.

Keep your appointments. You told our Fox 2 reporter on the air that you would come to our station and read through documents and explain in detail what they mean. You never showed up. Want to try again? We're ready when you are.

Know that the media will continue to investigate all that you do. You are the mayor, you are in the public limelight, you are elected by the people. Understand it. Work with the media, set meetings with all the outlets. If you have nothing to hide, then appear on the shows, address the issues and move on. The you can say "asked and answered" and focus on more important matters of the people.

Recognize that ratings are likely up for all local media because of this controversy. Believe it or not, you can still effect the headlines - -deal with the day's controversy, address them one at a time -- and keep promoting the agenda you laid out during your state of the city speech.

Face the music without anger. It serves no one in the end. If you are innocent, act like it. Call my mother a whore and I cold care less because it could not be further from the truth. It's ridiculous and I can't get angry. I would think you're a fool. Don't get me wrong, I love my mother, and if you tried to harm her in a real way I would defend her. I understand how you feel about your family, but lashing out encourages the morons that would threaten them. Attention and reaction is what they want. Don't give in to that. Confront the issues one at time without anger. Give nothing away.

FINALLY THIS PERSONAL NOTE: Rely on the truth if it is your ally. If it's not, the time has come to move on. If your goal is to help the people of Detroit, then search your heart and recognize that there may be a time to step down so that the citizen's issues can once again rise above your personal traumas. Maybe you can serve the city better as a private citizen and businessman. Your legacy is in your hands. You control your own destiny. Not GOD, not the media, no one but you. God may grant you the strength and talents to do this, but it is your choice to make. You choose the path to take. Blame no one, JUST DO.

Dennis Kraniak
Senior Web Producer
MyFoxDetroit.com

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