Freedom of speech

Last week's letter to the editor from a parent unhappy about what they perceived as Seahawk fever at school stirred up a hornet's nest. Children are not always reliable reporters of what happens in any given situation, as this weeks retraction by the same letter writer makes abundantly clear.

At times, we have all been guilty of throwing out allegations that are not backed up by facts. That's when we have to eat crow, as the saying goes.

But The Record wants to thank the letter writer for using the newspaper as a venue for exercising their very American right to free speech. We also thank those of you who called to express your displeasure at seeing what you felt were unsubstantiated allegations in the paper, even if they were just one person's opinion. And we thank the person who contacted us to thank us for giving that parent a voice.

We view the while episode as a learning experience. We should keep the conversation going and keep communicating.