Craig Matthews
Posted to Facebook – 08/17/2013
I found this paper to be insensitive and lack consideration in their reporting of a tree falling on an automobile driving down the roadway. In their attempt at humor, they didn’t regard the grave risk to the driver.

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Stevie Coyle
Posted to Facebook – 08/17/2013

Mr. Miller –
Do I understand correctly that your paper laughingly reported a serious incident and made light of a nearly deadly accident? Has Carmel gotten just that “twee” that an enormous tree crushing a vehicle and endangering the driver gets cavalier treatment because owner of the car in question was driving a Prius and not a Bentley? How truly swinish. To add to the overweening disregard for human life, the article added insult to injury by blithely remarking that, essentially, “at least the highway was open in time for our car show.”

Does your staff really need to have it explained to them why this is wrong? That is truly pitiful. Compassion is always in good taste, and egregious entitlement is always disgusting. Simple reportage would have been sufficient.

I have posted this incident to my Facebook wall, where 4000+ people can see it.. You may get a few emails I would be happy to post your apology there as well.

Sincerely,
Stevie Coyle

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August 17, 2013 at 1:08pm · Edited · Like · 2

Stevie Coyle Here’s Mr. Miller’s response to me and mine to him.

On Aug 17, 2013, at 9:39 AM, Paul Miller <paul@carmelpinecone.com> wrote:
It should be obvious to anyone with above-average intelligence that the point of our joke was to make fun of the Concours. The idea that we were sincerely expressing gratitude that the car was only a Prius is just dumb.

Mr. Miller –
Please note the use of a salutation in this email. Even in electronic media, it is one of the hallmarks of civil exchange. It indicates implicitly that you realize you are responding to a human being who has a name.

It is obvious to anyone of above-average intelligence – or at least anyone who remembers his Plato, Aristotle or Hobbes – that humor is always at someone’s expense. At whose expense do you feel this article was published?

– You posted a very dramatic photograph, and didn’t get around to mentioning the disposition of the victim until paragraph 2. Or was it your aim to appear callous? Is that what you call hard-hitting journalism these days?

– Not all of your readers are from Carmel. Your ‘joke’ was at least provincial, and at worst truly cruel in its dismissiveness. As a famously/notoriously upscale/insular neck of the woods, I’d suggest that in this FAIL, as the young people say, you did nothing to advance the reputation of your community. I have wonder how kindly your advertisers and backers will take to this ding.

– It must be abundantly clear that your little joke missed its mark. And for that alone – and as a man of presumably-above-average intelligence – you should take a step back and show enough class to retract the article and to apologize to the woman you so brusquely brushed off as an afterthought to your ill-conceived attempt at humor.

With all of the negative response you are getting, it must be obvious to you – as a man of above-average intelligence – that you blew it, brother. Show some class and get on the right side of this.

Very sincerely,
Stevie Coyle
San Rafael, CA

PS: Save the bot response. Feel free to print this one, too.
August 17, 2013 at 1:54pm · Like · 3

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