I did not notice the comments for several hours. Some of the time I was not online and when I did open the laptop, I followed my normal Friday afternoon and evening routine of going through the Highway Patrol reports, federal court dockets, posting the bankruptcy petitions, marriage licenses and dissolutions of marriage.
After going through some e-mails, including obituary announcements from local funeral homes, Billy Long's column, news releases and various newsletters I receive from different newspapers, television stations and news and sports websites, I happened to notice the Facebook messages, tracked down the information and posted the story on Russow's acquittal.
By this time, there were a few of the expected type of comments that always go to anyone who reports on the news.
"All the media is interested in is sales" and "they don't care who they hurt," and I even received one e-mail from someone who appears to have created the address just to rip into me going into the old nonsense about me not caring about anyone and hurting so many people because I write about these things that are not anyone's business.
Let me address a few of those points:
First, the nonsense about me being so quick to post something about the accusations, but not about the acquittal.
I did not write about the first day of testimony until Friday morning, probably about 17 hours after the court adjourned on Thursday. I posted the news of the acquittal about four or five hours after the jury handed down its verdict.
After I posted the acquittal article, I reopened the article about the first day's testimony and added in bold lettering at the top of the post that the jury found Johnny Russow not guilty.
That is something I do anytime a trial is held and the jury acquits the defendant.
As for the tired claim that all the media is interested in is sales and building readership- check out this week's Top 10 Turner Report. While it is true that the post on the accuser's testimony received more visitors, it was by a small amount and some of those have viewed the post since I added the bold-lettered message on the verdict.
The acquittal post is ranked just behind the first post and will pass it in total visitors sometime tonight.
As for the sales, I am not raking in the cash with these blogs by posting one sensational crime/scandal story after another.
I do offer a considerable amount of coverage each day on crime and courts news, but I spend just as much time on basic government posts, including agendas of meetings and while those have a loyal readership and I plan to continue posting them, they are not the stuff of scandal.
Probably more of my time is spent on posting the obituaries.
Between my Inside Joplin Obituaries and Inside Pittsburg Obituaries, more than 10,000 life stories have been published. I do not charge a cent for posting obituaries. i receive a small amount from the advertising on the page and I am sure that some of you who have made contributions or took subscriptions or paying at least some of your money for the obituary service.
It probably is not necessary to address the claim that the crime stories are no one's business.
Our tax money pays for the trials, law enforcement, the prisons, the probation and parole officers and every other facet of our legal system. Is is the public's business, not just from the aspect of how the money is spent, but it is also important to have a knowledge of where crimes are taking place and who is committing them.
I am sure that some of those who complain the most vociferously are simply not fans of my writing style. While I am sorry it does not meet with their approval, after 42 years it is highly unlikely I am going to change the way I write.
This week's top 10 posts for the Turner Report, Inside Joplin and Inside Joplin Obituaries are posted below.
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The Turner Report
1. Sports Illustrated report offers devastating description of MSSU football coach's role in death of Garden City Community College player
2. Carthage man crashes into bridge, tells police he's "too drunk" to take field sobriety tests
3. Judge to embezzling Jasper R-5 Board secretary: Sorry, Karla, you're staying in prison
4. Trial testimony: Former Diamond School Board member molested underage girl, had affair with her mother
5. Newton County jury finds former Diamond School Board member not guilty of statutory sodomy
6. Jalen Vaden to Jayda Kyle's father: I pray that you know I didn't do this to her
7. Carthage man who broke five-year-old daughter's leg sentenced to seven years in prison
8. Winners and losers from the Democratic presidential candidate debates
9. First degree murder trial of accused road rage killer set to begin July 8
10. U. S. Marshals warn of scammers spoofing official numbers to trick people into sending money
Inside Joplin
1. Joplin woman killed after bicycle struck by car on 7th Street at Wal-Mart Drive
2. Webb City man arrested on felony charges after Joplin SWAT operation at 2429 E. Salem
3. Joplin man injured in motorcycle-car crash at 22nd and Maiden Lane dies at local hospital
4. Joplin Police: Do you know this Range Line hit-and-run suspect?
5. Barton County Sheriff investigating reports of men in trucks trying to lure children by using puppies, ice cream truck melodies
6. Joplin Police: Do you know these guys?
7. Joplin Police Department Arrests June 27-28
8. Jasper County Dissolution of Marriage Petitions
9. Joplin Police Department Arrests June 25-26
10. Joplin Police Department Weekend Arrests
Inside Joplin Obituaries
1. Chris Body
2. Seth Dallies
3. Chuck Smith
4. Gary Morrison
5. Susie Griffitt
6. Steve Houk
7. Randy Layne
8. Dorothy Grotjohn
9. Samantha Harr
10. Gene Shirk
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