Daily offers limp editorial on Pickup sentencing

The editorial page of small town dailies, when used properly, can be a community meeting place, offering strong, well-reasoned viewpoints, and fostering discussion on important issues.

The shocking decision by McDonald County Judge John LePage to sentence former Neosho police officer Justin Pickup to just 15 days in jail for providing alcohol to a minor who died a couple of hours later in a car accident, is one of those issues that could use a strong viewpoint. After all, the prosecution in this case, the Missouri attorney general's office recommended the full one-year maximum for Pickup.

A strong viewpoint is not what was offered in the editorial in today's Neosho Daily News. You know what's coming when the editorial is headlined "Was ex-officer's sentence enough?"

The Daily did not take a stand on the issue, apparently fearing it might offend someone. Consider this sample from the editorial:

We don’t know what a jury would have recommended. That’s one of the realities of American jurisprudence: Once a case is in the hands of the jury, it is up to them to make a decision, and guilt must be found beyond a reasonable doubt.

We do realize that in pleading guilty, Pickup saved the expense of a trial, both to himself and to the people of Missouri.

It remains to be seen whether Pickup’s sentence will be enough.

Of course, it remains to be seen, but this is your editorial page. What do you think?

A good idea for another editorial was buried in this one:

But we believe one additional step should be taken — an explanation of the sentence should be provided to Kassie Schenck’s family.

That sentence is the only one in the editorial in which a strong opinion is expressed.
And while I do understand that it is not wise for newspapers to be offending people every day on their editorial pages, when issues arise that affect the entire community, a strong, forcefully-expressed voice can help a newspaper be an integral part of the community and not just an afterthought.