Editorial: This week saw a vicious attack on a local stable owner over his animal caretaking practices. The intention was well-meaning, however allegations were delivered with what can diplomatically be described as inflammatory language.
Terrible, gut-wrenching, criminal accusations were leveled, and they weren't merely whispered, nor were they brought solely to the attention of authorities. They were sent out in the form of a formal press release from an organization calling itself "Big Wildlife" to news outlets all over the province and beyond.
The Chief's newsroom received calls from Lower Mainland newspapers hoping to get photos of the allegedly skin-and-bones animals (they were politely turned down), and we hear the CBC was looking into the story.
It turns out that both the Vancouver-based newsrooms ended up dropping the story. Why? Because the worst allegations were unfounded, according to the SPCA.
But that does little to comfort the stable owner, whose reputation is now very seriously tarnished.
To be fair, the SPCA did point out a few negligent practices, such as muddy terrain that needed tending, but these were far from the scenes described in the press release.
But that didn't stop some news outlets from broadcasting the allegations before the inspection results were in.
People throughout the corridor heard about the horror over radio airwaves a follow-up story indicated the accused was cleared and Internet trollers all over the world can now read about them forever. How do you un-ring that bell?
Now the stable owner is considering legal action,and he has a point. The hysterical tone of the release was highly questionable under the circumstances.
And the person who distributed it and will not confirm nor deny that he wrote it is now desperate to distance himself and his organization from it. He says he was only trying to help a friend get the word out about animal abuse, and a technical glitch resulted in his sending the release from his Big Wildlife email account.
And the "friend" is also distancing herself from the incident, saying she was misquoted presumably referring the most inflammatory statements in the release.
What a mess.
Hopefully this incident will teach some people to pause and think before spreading hysterical allegations. And next time you hear wild tales, consider the source.
