This Letter to the Editor was published in the Jan. 5 edition of the Renton Reporter

We are sad about the newspaper’s direction

Back in the day, when Denis Law was the publisher, the Renton Reporter was a wholesome, family-friendly publication throughout, with no particular religious leanings, no cultural agenda and no overtly political reporting or emphasis on special interest groups.

An alarming trend has occurred lately where the content has definitely changed, and not for the better.

Reporter Bailey Jo Josie’s front page piece last week featuring the transgender man reading at a local brewpub was hardly representative of the majority of the population of this city and certainly not a positive influence for families of small children, but driven by a city council member (who lives in my neighborhood) and made sure this event went on despite protests (which never materialized).

This was puzzling and worrisome enough, but this week, the week after Christmas, a season of light, the front page story is about how witches and wiccans celebrate the Winter Solstice. Witches? Covens? Wiccans? Groups who associate their practices with darkness.

If you needed a front page article that would interest readers and draw in a wider audience, why not put the article (that was placed back on page 8) about UPS donating $35,000 to Community Passageways for youth development and justice-involved programs?

That would certainly have been a more positive, uplifting and encouraging lead article for your front page, drawing in readers and honoring the work of the Black Equality Coalition, as well as representing a wide swath of the population instead of a tiny minority.

Recent editorial changes have revealed, in an effort to be “inclusive” and show “diversity” in your coverage, that reporting has gone way too far in course-correcting story content. The Renton Reporter’s focus on these kinds of special topics/interests groups is hardly representative of the population of over 105,000 people in this fair city and has become self-serving and agenda-driven instead of serving its readers.

While I believe everyone who lives here is made in the image of God and needs to be shown respect, giving space to demonic practices and lifestyle choices that negatively affect children is hardly the way to over-correct. We are very sad about the front page focus and direction of the Renton Reporter and would be more apt to be paid subscribers if we felt your work was more appealing to the majority of your readers.

When the print copies arrived, we were overjoyed and felt we might become paying readers, but as it is, since it arrives free every week, we will probably just put it directly in recycling.

We’re sure you and your team can do better at representing the families whom you serve, not just a few of them, but a majority. Please consider it, at least.

Jody Collins

Renton