Nanaimo Canwest-Global Newspapers A Little Too Sensitive, Perhaps?

I submitted the following to the Harbour City Star and the Nanaimo Daily News, both of whom had run a version of the Lantzville sewer piece and, lo and behold, the Daily News didn't run it at all and the Star took numerous 'liberties' with it (I can only assume in an effort to keep themselves from looking foolish/uninformed). I have included a copy of what they actually published so you can see for yourselves how 'sensitive' they are and how it works against your need to be fully informed.

AS SUMBITTED
Dear Editor,
The unattributed piece, Sewers improved in Lantzville, The Star, Wed., April 30th, leaves a lot to be desired in terms of reporting. If it was provided by government, surely you have realized by now that even they (you know - "for the people, by the people") have their own agendas and their communications are specifically designed to further them.
For example, the "laying of a sewer pipe along the community's foreshore from its border with Nanaimo north to Oar Road" was only a part of the $3.5 million public expenditure, (one that was completed BEFORE the affected properties had even been asked to approve their share) with the distribution of smaller collector pipes throughout an area of 208 (not 225 as reported) homes and businesses and a sewage lift station comprising the bulk of it.
Since it is the fields which normally fail in septic systems and the tanks remove about 40% of the Total Suspended Solids (TSS), 60% of the Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and 5-10% of the pathogens, it is irresponsible and just downright wrong to write that "(t)he problem of raw sewage leaking into open ditches from septic fields in Lantzville, where most residences are not hooked into the Regional District of Nanaimo sewer system [in fact, none were at the time] has alarmed residents for years". Not one piece of factual evidence has ever been provided to support the claim or level of concern.
It is uninformed and incorrect articles like yours which are the cause for alarm. Remember when your sister paper, the Nanaimo Daily News, ominously reported some 10 years ago that Lantzville was "literally a cesspool" and sewers were "criminally overdue"? One would have thought we'd all be dead by now!

AS PUBLISHED (Wed., May 21/08)
Dear Editor,
RE: Sewers improved in Lantzville, The Star, April 30th, leaves a lot to be desired in terms of reporting. If it was provided by government, surely you have realized by now that even they have their own agendas and their communications are specifically designed to further them. For example, the "laying of a sewer pipe along the community's foreshore from its border with Nanaimo north to Oar Road" was only a part of the $3.5 million public expenditure, (besides which it was completed before the affected properties had even been asked to approve their share). It was the distribution of smaller collector pipes throughout an area of 208 (not the 225 as reported) homes and businesses and a sewage lift station that comprised the bulk of it. Since it is the fields which normally fail in septic systems and the tanks remove about 40% of the Total Suspended Solids (TSS), 60% of the Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and 5-10% of the pathogens, it is wrong to write that "the problem of raw sewage leaking into open ditches from septic fields in Lantzville, where most residences are not hooked into the Regional District of Nanaimo sewer system [in fact, none were at the time] has alarmed residents for years". I have never seen any evidence provided to support that claim or level of concern.

Their inability to take to criticism is especially demonstrated by their deletion of the entire last paragraph. Don't you think that its about time we told the media that we're not interested in their 'spin' or distortions and, if they want to use our efforts (such as 'Letters to the Editor') to sell papers (it is one of the most-read pieces of any paper), they can darn well show us the respect due and run them as written so that we can all be better informed?