Patrick Morrisey, Goonengerry
Samantha Wortelhock is spot on when she says, ‘The Echo rarely gives space to the positive things our Greens Council is doing’ (Letters July 17). The reason they rarely give space is that it doesn’t follow their motto which they’ve proudly published every week for 30-odd years, that of Finley Peter Dunne (1867–1936) ‘The job of a newspaper is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.’
While newspapers should always keep governments accountable, The Echo has turned Dunne’s quote into a blood sport, relentlessly trying to inflict as much pain as possible onto those the community elected and council employees, while treating the electorate like mushrooms, keeping them in the dark to anything Council does who actually aligns with the desires of the majority of those that elected them, the local community.
It’s easy to constantly criticise, but takes a little more nuance and effort to fully inform the public and give credit where credit is due. Perhaps one day The Echo will rise to this challenge, but don’t hold your breath waiting, Samantha.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
