I’d like to thank Erik Dolson for his letter (“Complexities of Journalism”) published in the Sept. 4 edition of The Leader. It’s an excellent primer on the ideological rot of false ‘objectivity’ by which journalists and editors, from The Leader to the New York Times, justify acting as stenographers for the far right, thereby laundering their propaganda through the (fast-fading) prestige of professional journalism.

Mr. Dolson completely misses the point here: the issue is not whether Crystal Cox sincerely felt welcomed by Proud Boys — it’s that she’s on the same side as a fascist organization! The public should know that Cox’s vendetta against Mayor David Faber and others on the city council is primarily motivated by their standing up for the dignity and rights of trans people. This complaint is simply one piece of her hateful crusade.

Mr. Dolson asks if The Leader should simply not have covered the complaint. Answer: yes! “Local crank has theory” should not be front page news. I would invite anyone with the stomach for it to watch some of the video blogs on Cox’s YouTube channel. I’m not a medical professional, but I think most viewers can intuitively sense that this is an unwell person.

Many people only glance at headlines, and few will independently research an article’s claims. The complaint may be meritless, but because The Leader has reported on it without providing the context that the complainant lacks credibility, people are left with a vague impression that “allegations” exist. Public trust is eroded further in the pursuit of engagement. Cox may be an irrelevancy we can all ignore, but this same stenography masquerading as journalism is precisely what, at the national level, has helped legitimate Donald Trump and his associates in public discourse, keeping them dangerously close to power.

Theo Howard

Port Townsend