(story: Cory Howard, Executive Producer Interactive, KHQ.com; photo: KHQ.com)
A piece recently ran in The Guardian that didn't paint Spokane in the best of light.
We don't need to rehash it. It spread like wildfire and we're confident if you're reading this, you've read that. If not, here you go.
The hardest part to digest was that it was written by someone who has lived here and should've known better. The article was full of inaccuracies, which is a nice way of saying lies.
Social media took notice. Spokane took notice. The response was swift. From the The Spokesman-Review. From The Inlander. From citizens of our great town all over social media. Author Cody Delistraty drastically missed the mark on the Lilac City.
On Thursday, The Guardian owned up to that.
"Cody’s essay was intended to reflect on the success of Gonzaga’s basketball team in their post-industrial surroundings, drawing on his own experience in the place he calls home," The Guardian wrote in their apology. "Unfortunately, it didn’t quite hit the right note, and it caused a storm among Spokanites."
A storm indeed. But the publication perhaps calmed the waters a bit in their apology.
"We ran the piece, we’re responsible for it, and we accept the criticism. Cody wrote it well, and in good faith, and he made some strong judgments, and we liked it, so we lightly edited it and published it. We didn’t expect the storm of criticism, but, looking back, we should have been more judicious in our editing, headline, and presentation."
"We hold our hands up. We didn’t mean to demean your town," they continued. "The piece is our responsibility, and any ire should be directed at us, not Cody. (He’s been a pleasure to work with, incidentally, and has communicated with us in an extremely thorough and professional way.)"
You can read The Guardian's entire response HERE.
What do you think? Do you forgive Cody and The Guardian? Let KHQ know on their Facebook page.