December 26, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

I am tired of having to hide my Bangor Daily News from my children as though it was an X-rated magazine.

It seems that sexually explicit articles are being published more and more frequently. The most recent one was published on the front page of the Nov. 22 edition about the detectives who arrested the prostitutes.

It is difficult in today’s world to shield children from the lyrics of modern-day music and immoral TV shows. One should not have to be concerned about their child seeing the “family” newspaper.

It seems unnecessary to me to print the details of the sexual acts of any given case. Some of the recent descriptions printed in BDN articles belong in a porn shop. Some articles that come to mind include the recent one (Dec. 7-8, “Former pupils file civil suit”), articles about the massage parlors, and, some time ago, articles written about Earl Friend.

The fact that these articles are appearing on Page One shows a lack of responsibility toward all families who subscribe to your paper along with a mixed-up sense of priorities on your part.

As early as third grade, teachers begin to encourage children to read their daily newspapers and to discuss news articles in class. The type of sexually explicit articles you are printing go against any sense of moral decency. They certainly are not “show and tell” material.

A newspaper that attempts to portray itself as family-oriented by publishing a children’s Mini-Page weekly needs to re-examine its stand on family values and make an attempt to steer away from sensationalism and go back to responsible news reporting. Susan Farrar Brownville Junction


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