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Firehouse.com News
Read the Rebuttal: Newspaper Responds to Firefighter Outcry
The Oakland Press Newspaper in Pontiac, Mich. was overwhelmed with emails
following the publication of International Association of Fire Fighters General President Harold Schaitberger's
response to their July, 11 editorial on Firehouse.com and the IAFF web site.
Vicki Arsenault, assistant to Executive Editor Gary Gilbert, said they
received hundreds of responses critical of the editorial which Schaitberger
described as an "outrage and a slap in the face of every fire fighter."
The newspaper's response to the critical emails from firefighters across the
country was to submit to Firehouse.com and the IAFF, an editorial they will publish in
their July 26 edition. In that editorial, the editors have written, "The
words also were perceived as harsh and unfair, especially under the
inevitably confused circumstances. To that extent, they were in fact harsh
and unfair. An apology is due and offered."
Arsenault said the editors agreed that it was probably too sensitive an
issue yet for firefighters, for the original editorial writer, editor Neil
Munro, to have used the descriptions that he did. The original editorial
suggested firefighters at the WTC were playing cowboy in their actions to
rush into the buildings.
The newspaper, Arsenault said, was hoping the new editorial would more
clearly state the feelings of the newspaper on the subject of the current
WTC reports and the actions of the firefighters.
IAFF spokesman George Burke said they were "pleased they saw the light", in
reference to the new editorial.
The type of language they used, Burke said, rightfully upset firefighters.
"So I have to give them some kudos for reassessing their editorial, and
writing another. It was the right thing for them to do."
"It bears testament to the number of firefighters who visit and take
seriously the material that the web sites of the IAFF and Firehouse.com
publish," Burke said.
