Oh crap! Now Frank Fata's mad at us!

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

*********************** Dear Mr. Helwig:

I wanted to take a few moments of your time and respond to a local news item that was covered by SooToday.com.

The story is the coverage of Michael Ignatieff's visit here and the way Carol Martin presented it on the site.

I personally found it very offensive how she presented it.

For example, the headline: did the supporters come to see him speak or did they come to eat the sausages?

I, for the life of me, find no journalistic qualities that can explain what Ms. Martin meant by this statement.

Not to sound presumptuous, but is Carol Martin perhaps related to Tony Martin?

As a journalist, I certainly hope that her political affiliations don't influence the way she reports the news.

It would be very sad and perhaps detrimental to the SooToday.com site if this were the case.

There is a reporter for the Sault Star who has made it very clear of her affiliation with the NDP.

As a result, including ourselves, I know of dozens of subscribers who dropped their subscription to the paper.

Thank you for attention in this matter. Yours truly, Frank Fata

*********************** Our response

Dear Mr. Fata:

Carol Martin related to Tony Martin?

Tony can only wish!

I'm sorry you were offended by her reference to sausages in an article about the Liberal Party of Canada.

I haven't discussed Mr. Ignatieff's sausage quest with her, but I suspect Ms. Martin was referring more to the irresistible taste and texture of Sault Ste. Marie's legendary Italian sausages, than to any weenie-like qualities of Mr. Ignatieff or other leadership candidates.

In any case, my instructions to Carol are that she is to work tirelessly to alienate all politicians of all stripes equally.

Thank you for reassuring me that she is doing her job.

- David Helwig

Click here for additional insight into sausages and politics

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