The national media hit upon the sad story of Todd Loik's suicide mid-week, and we are sure many in the community are asking where their local newspaper is while this "story" is breaking.
We were advised of Todd's suicide Sept. 11 in an email from Maureen Ross of Calgary, who has a connection to the family. As a newsroom, two of whom are mothers and grandmothers, our hearts went out to Todd's family. Our hearts went out, but not our calls.
As a community newspaper it is incumbent upon us to respect the citizens of our community. Being that we were given Todd's name we could have easily identified his mother and called her for an interview. Instead, we chose our usual path in such cases. If the family contacts us, we will listen attentively and present the story using our best skills to continue to reflect that respect.
What's happening right now in the provincial and national media is not a new phenomenon. They attach themselves to a sensational story, milk it for all it is worth and then move on. We don't know whether Todd's mother came forward to the media voluntarily, or whether she was pressured to do so after they followed the trail to her door. All we know is she has not contacted our newsroom, and until she does we will not intrude on her grief.
To us this is not only a compassionate approach to situations such as these, but it is also a prudent one. It is our view the sensationalizing of such deaths does little to curb the problems at their root. Cyber bullying and other types of bullying continue to flourish and giving widespread coverage to a young person's conclusion that life is no longer worth living has the potential to plant the seed of that action in the minds of others.
It has been confirmed by the Living Sky School Division Board of the Education that an RCMP investigation is being conducted into Todd's sad decision to take his own life. The Living Sky board chair and the director of education have expressed appreciation for our having shown respect for a family going through a difficult time. Our newsroom shares the board's hope that as the RCMP investigation proceeds, the family gets some answers to help them deal with their loss.
Should charges be laid, of course, it will be appropriate for us to share that information with our readers. Until then, the details of this tragic incident and the grief of the family are not "fair game."
