One of the qualities that we hope to have at Yellowhammer News is a sense of thoughtfulness, the ability to gather information, consider the various aspects of an issue, deliberate upon the consequences and then chart a path ahead for Alabama’s conservatives.
We will not be anyone’s attack dog.
Nor will we be anyone’s guard dog, either.
We will not amplify gossip and we will not spread rumors. Period.
That makes us different in today’s media landscape, and we’re fine with that. I hope you will be, too.
Because this is how Yellowhammer News will treat any story, including today’s Washington Post article claiming that Judge Roy Moore “initiated a sexual encounter” with an underage girl when he was in his early 30s.
Moore has denied the claims.
“These allegations are completely false and are a desperate political attack by the National Democrat Party and the Washington Post on this campaign,” Moore said in a statement.
The article could be true or it could be false. I’ve seen stories like this go either way, and it’s way too early to tell. We could have a Harvey Weinstein story on our hands or another Duke lacrosse team travesty.
To those rushing to condemn Moore: How will you feel if, in a week’s time, we learn these accusers fabricated the entire story?
To those rushing to blindly defend him: How will you feel if, in a week’s time, a dozen or more additional women come forward with similar claims?
In both cases, we at Yellowhammer News would feel awful, would feel we had betrayed our principles and our ethics, and that’s why we’re not playing this rush-to-judgment game. We’ll leave that to the people who’ve already made a mess of journalism in our nation.
By all accounts, Judge Moore has lived an upstanding life and these accusations seem far out of character. And we all know the reputation of the Washington Post; they hate people like Moore and the values he represents. So more than a grain of salt has to be taken when evaluating any story they publish about the man.
What we can promise is this:
— If Roy Moore did these things, then our writers will hold him accountable on this site.
— And if Roy Moore didn’t do these things, then our writers will hold the mainstream media and any political operatives pushing the story accountable on this site, as well.
Yellowhammer News is about ideas, not individuals. We owe our allegiance to our readers, to our principles, and to the truth … wherever they may lead us.
