Tragedy hits home

The death of 21-year-old Ben Horning on May 30 left his community reeling. Young Ben was crossing state Route 17 on foot when he was struck by a motor home, according to police reports. He died at the scene.

Many readers took to the phones or left comments on our web site and Facebook page expressing their disapproval of the photo that accompanied the story. The photo in question showed the motor home, police and fire vehicles, but also, in the background, a white sheet covering the young man could be seen. Many readers felt that it was disrespectful and callous of us to allow that photo to be printed.

We want to explain our position and let our readers know we do care and are part of the communities affected by this tragedy.

Many of us have children his age, and would be just as devastated by their loss. We hold those Ben leaves behind in our thoughts and prayers.

But as a newspaper, it is our responsibility to describe what happened as accurately as possible. That's why we relied on the police report and other official sources. It's also why we selected the photo we felt would best convey the event to our readers.

The photo was not sensational. True, there are newspapers that print graphic photos of death and misery, but we are not among them and never have been. This photo was selected because it shows a very human side of the accident. This was not merely a collision between vehicles, but a horrific incident in which a young man's life ended. We don't want to sensationalize that fact, but neither can we gloss over it.

- Editorial board