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Letter: An insensitive article

I cannot contain my anger at your insensitive article today on Will Graham. You probably feel proud of the investigative journalism you did in order to write that story, but let me tell you, no one else found it remotely interesting or appropriate. Gross. I honestly felt sick while reading the article, not because of the life you portrayed him living (most of us already knew about it) but because of how you chose to write about a man whose body can’t be found and who has likely passed away. Did you even think twice about publishing an article like that about a local kid whose family has done so much for our town? Are you even aware that he was a son, a brother, a teammate and a friend? There are writers who can beautifully capture people and the struggles they faced in their life. Obviously you are not that writer. Your article completely lacked compassion for the situation, for the family affected, by the man whom it was about and for the spirit of our small town. Why you felt it your role to ramble off all of Will’s faults I cannot understand. He was, in fact, a beautiful soul who was loved by many. Shame on you, and shame on The Aspen Times for publishing your heartless article. We all have a past. We all make mistakes. One of the beautiful things about growing up in this small town has been the closeness of the people I grew up around and the supportive nature of our community. Your article totally wrecked the supportive nature of what I love about Aspen. I hope that you and those you love remain perfect forever so that no such article ever has to be written about someone you love at the end of their life. In the meantime, I urge you to issue a public apology and an apology to Will’s family immediately.

Jasmine Liddington

Aspen High School graduate, 2001