Bottom of the ethics barrel

Now you have done it. You have reached the absolute bottom of the ethics barrel.

The article by Gerald Jones about Jay Purcell is the most vicious attack I have ever seen, and it is given guest column status.

The accusations made may or may not be true, which is not the issue, and had you written it as an editorial, after you checked and validated the facts, it would have been fine. But to take one politician's attack on another and give it such prominence on the Opinion page is unethical.

It just shocks me beyond words that you have further stoked the accusations about media bias. You make the TV networks look like the good guys. Perhaps you agree with this piece but would rather let someone else take the heat rather than accept liability for it.

Remember when some famous person said, "It has to be true, it was in the newspaper." Guess those days are gone forever.

NEIL DITTLINGER, Benton, Mo.

Commissioner Jay Purcell was invited, before the guest column by Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones was published, to submit a response. If Purcell responds, it will be accorded the same treatment as the Jones column. As always, opinions expressed on the Opinion page, other than the "Our opinion" editorial, do not reflect the views of the Southeast Missourian. Signed columns and letters are an important aspect of community dialogue, allowing readers to make their own determinations about the writer. In this case, Jones and Purcell are elected officials in the highest positions of county government.