I find that when there is social media upheaval it’s sometimes best to pause, not respond in the moment, and take some time before proceeding.
When I published the post highlighting the fact that Hilary Haskell, an AASD educator and the wife of Appleton’s mayor Jake Woodford, is listed as a signer of the Zinn Education Project’s “Pledge To Teach The Truth”, it garnered quite a bit of response on Facebook.
Some criticisms were (a) it was not newsworthy, (b) it was “doxxing”, and (c) it was somehow presenting propaganda or conservative opinion.
The “Pledge To Teach The Truth” has received media attention both on the national and state level, and the over 200 comments my post received would indicate that it is noteworthy. I do think that when a local public employee, whose salary is paid for by taxpayers, has their name appear on a public statement regarding how they intend to carry out their job responsibilities, that is worthy of being mentioned.
There is also no reasonable way in which highlighting the fact that a person’s name appears on a public pledge could possibly be construed as doxxing. This was not a situation of publicizing an individual’s private opinions voiced within a private setting. This was a very public pledge and the pledge organizers were crystal-clear to the signers, going so far as to state twice, that their names would be public.
In the post, I did voice three opinions.
First opinion: “I do think that when the name of an individual who is both a public employee and the spouse of an elected official is associated with a public pledge that specifically speaks about how she intends to perform her professional duties as a public employee, that is a matter of public interest and the public should reasonably expect that person to confirm whether or not she signed that pledge.”
Again, I will reiterate, this was a public statement that appears to have been signed by a public employee who is paid with taxpayer dollars and the pledge speaks directly about how she will carry out her job responsibilities. It is not unreasonable to expect a public employee in that situation to confirm whether or not they signed that pledge. I stand by that statement.
Second opinion: “The issue may also be of particular interest to parents with students in the Appleton Area School District.”
There have been news stories from all across the country of parents expressing great passion regarding the way their schools and teachers instruct their children about American history, racism, and racial issues. I stand by that statement.
Third opinion: “Although Mayor Woodford and his wife are two separate individuals who may hold different views on this matter, I do think it is in the public’s interest to hear his thoughts on the matter.”
Again, I understand that he and his wife are separate people. At the same time, the City of Appleton has been going through its own discussions regarding racial issues not only within the last few months but over the last year. The mayor is respected and has a calm demeanor, and he is our city’s chief and most public leader. It is not unreasonable to ask him to speak to some of these issues. I stand by that statement.
Finally, as a housekeeping note, I exercise the barest minimum of comment moderation. It does seem, however, that I may need to increase that. I would ask you to please keep your comments germane to the subject matter of the post you are commenting on. If off topic comments become an issue, I will start deleting them.
I wish you a Happy Fourth Of July. I will be enjoying the rest of the holiday with my friends and family.
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