Dear Editor,

Once again I feel compelled to express my concern for an item appearing in the paper daily. I refer to the “Looking Back” piece and your practice of naming folks in a cruel and hurtful way. Here are two recent examples. There are many more.

When parents lose a child, and children lose both parents in a tragic, senseless act of violence, that is a hurt that doesn’t go away. A wound to the heart that won’t heal. The anniversary of that incident is a particularly hard day for them. Why would you use that day 25 years later to compound their pain and suffering by reprinting the events of that tragedy? It’s not news. Also when a 15-year-old child is accused of a crime he may or may not have committed, what is the rational or justifiable reason for causing him or her unnecessary embarrassment and humiliation 25 or 50 years later? Again it’s not news!

Ironically, when I have spoken to you and the previous editor about my concern; both you and he agreed with my assessment and indicated that steps would be taken to address the issue. Unfortunately here we are. That leads me to conclude that when you assign someone the job of searching the archives, there is no training, guidelines or oversight at all.

Perhaps the time has come to consider pulling the “Looking Back” segment altogether and replacing it. You might think about a meditation, thought for the day or maybe a poetry corner. You know, something uplifting rather than slanderous.

Surely there’s enough tragedy, violence, crime and scandal happening in real time to satisfy your readers.

TOM SPLITT,

Alpena