Dear Editor,
Ms. Coons’ writing might pass for journalism in the metropolis of Great Bend, but it would be unacceptable in a real newsroom.
“It appears Volpe received a tip and ran with it,” Ms. Coons writes. “His story doesn’t indicate any attempt to contact Wells and inquire about her side of the story. This is irresponsible, one-sided journalism at best.”
This paragraph betrays of a low level of reading comprehension. If Ms. Coons had read Mr. Volpe’s article with a modicum of competency, she would have noticed this sentence at the end:
“Repeated emails and phone calls to Ms. Wells were left unreturned. An HCHC spokesperson declined to comment for this report.”
http://dailycaller.com/2013/10/14/obamacare-navigator-in-kansas-has-outstanding-arrest-warrant/#ixzz2iEQlIVi7
I also sent emails to Ms. Wells and her employer. Those emails went unanswered.
Hypocritically, Ms. Coons made no attempt to contact me for my side of the story, yet felt comfortable in passing judgment on me.
“Finally, Volpe failed to follow through on what the arrest warrant is for--we as readers don’t know if it is for a criminal offence [sic], or if it might be a bench warrant for unpaid taxes.”
Again, if Ms. Coons had read Mr. Volpe’s article with even a minimum level of competency, she would have noticed the following:
“Reached by phone, The Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office would not elaborate on the specific charges related to Wells’ arrest warrant.”
And, again, contrary to Ms. Coons’ claim, Mr. Volpe did try to talk with Ms. Wells.
Ms. Coons spent a good amount of time discussing Ms. Wells’ bankruptcy. It is true that many people have filed for bankruptcy. What Ms. Coons’ should have focused on is the fact that Ms. Wells had an outstanding arrest warrant at the time she was hired to be an Obamacare navigator. It is likely that she would still have an outstanding arrest warrant if Mr. Volpe had not written his article. The outstanding arrest warrant was due to the fact that she failed to show up in court when she was ordered to do so. The arrest warrant exposes a major flaw in the navigator program. Individuals who will have access to social security numbers and other personal, sensitive information were not subjected to adequate background checks. This, as Gov. Bobby Jindal noted two months ago, makes the program “ripe for disaster.”
In the future, I hope that Ms. Coons takes her responsibility as a reporter seriously, and refrains from making false claims, leaving out pertinent information, and smearing people without first getting their side to the story.
Kevin Groenhagen
Lawrence