Foul Ball 

Editor:

On KINS last week, County Supervisor Rex Bohn defended the supervisors' hiring of public defender David Marcus ("Let's Talk About Rex," April 13). Rex said he met with Marcus one-on-one and heard from attorneys who say that Marcus is doing a good job.

Fair enough.

What wasn't fair was Rex saying that the weekly newspapers reporting on the controversy are making things up. "They have to sell newspapers [so] they can't just say, 'This guy is great.' So they say, 'This guy is not great, because we said so.'"

I've known and worked with the people who write and edit the North Coast Journal, Mad River Union and other local weeklies for many years. They don't make up facts or stories to sell newspapers. They're devoted to fair, accurate, honest reporting.

Editors sometimes write editorials where they go beyond reporting and express opinions. North Coast Journal Editor Thadeus Greenson, for example, has expressed critical opinions about Marcus in his editorials.

But Rex didn't argue on those points. Instead, he dismissed Greenson and other local editors as people who make stuff up, who lack ethics and integrity.

I know we're used to hearing politicians exaggerate and speak casually but it's no trivial matter for one of the top elected officials in the county to accuse local newspapers of making up controversies in order to get readers.

I would add that KINS host Brian Papstein dropped the ball when he failed to question or challenge Rex's claims.

Jim Hight, Eureka