Letter to the Editor: Unfair News Placement about Tulsa Priest Investigation

Tulsa World
December 12, 2019

https://www.tulsaworld.com/opinion/letters/letter-to-the-editor-unfair-news-placement-about-tulsa-priest/article_60f19bee-b1b9-5a7c-9670-07fdf1ff3724.html

It was very discouraging to see the Rev. Joe Townsend reprieve on the second section of the Tulsa World (“Diocese: Allegation against Tulsa priest found to be unsubstantiated,” Dec. 4).

It was front-page news when word came out about the allegations. Now that he’s been exonerated, it’s no big deal. We are innocent until proven guilty only in the court system it seems.

I feel it should be front page again, so people can see the truth as we know it, just so he can feel truly exonerated.

Evemarie Luce Eklund, Tulsa

Editor’s Note: The newsroom editors choose to publish the story across all columns at the top of the Metro section. The reasons include the front-page breaking news that day of the notification of impeachment filings against President Trump and the Tulsa Public Schools announcement to close four schools and hold meetings on a restructuring plan. The Tulsa World also published the last of a five-part series on statewide criminal justice issues. The decision regarding allegations against Townsend as being unsubstantiated came from an internal diocese investigation, not law enforcement.