This letter is in response to the recent story about Chief Deputy Glenn Ross of the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department. Why is it that Channel 2 would air a story based on “unnamed sources within law enforcement” without any supporting evidence and prior to any investigation? Could it be connected to the fact that during the month of November, there is an occurrence called “sweep weeks” which is the time period that the local stations try to increase their number of viewers because their advertising rates for the upcoming year are set based on the number of viewers during that time period? I wonder if this might have a bearing on why Channel 2 went ahead with their story which reported unsupported and false allegations against the chief deputy.

They didn’t seem to mind airing this story about Chief Deputy Ross without knowing whether their information was true or false but I am sure that they knew it would serve to harm his reputation. I wonder why they did not air the district attorney’s assessment of their journalism which was character assassination, or the sheriff’s view which was sleazy tabloid stuff? What they have attempted to do to the reputation of a time-tested professional deputy sheriff is, in my opinion, an example of poor journalistic ethics.

I am pleased to know that there was no basis for the claims against the chief deputy and I believe that Channel 2 owes Glenn Ross a public apology. Peter S. VanSantvoord Bangor