I am disappointed with the “Hit-and-run” article that The Western Front ran on the front page Jan. 15.
The article, about the alleged hit-and-run driver, Ashley Wick, read like a eulogy, which should not have been the tone.
I am sad to say that now I know more about Wick than I do about Un Kyu Choi. I completely understand running an article on the front page about the accident, but can’t see a justification for glorifying the person who took another’s life.
It is stated in that article “friends and coaches describe former Western student Ashley Wick as a good kid and a star athlete.” I am all for her family and friends supporting her through what is going to be a terribly dark and hard part of her life, but that is for the family to do right now.
The Bellingham Herald seemed to get the story right; highlighting a hit-and-run committed by Wick less than a week before, but still staying impartial.
The Herald did not chastise Wick for what she did, but they did present the facts. What newspapers need are facts and an impartial stance rather than soft statements from the perpetrator’s friends.
Would Choi’s friends and family describe him as a good kid? Was he into baseball? If soft statements are to be included, get some about the victim as well.
We, the Western community, should not unite in condemning Wick for her actions but we certainly should pay more attention to the student who died rather than the one who allegedly killed him.
This doesn't mean that I don't feel for Wick. As a person who has gotten into my fair share of legal trouble, I can empathize (to a certain extent).
It is natural, and right, to feel for Wick and her family, but our thoughts should be first and foremost with Un Kyu Choi and his family. Let’s get a front page article about his life in the works soon.
David Koewler Western Senior
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