Letter to the Editors

Dear Newschoolers.com Editors & Josh Anderson,

I'm writing in regards to the feature story about the Kirkwood big-mountain event that's posted on your Home Page.

I'm dismayed and offended that this article contains only four sentences total about Hawks' passing.

Isn't Hawks' death much more important than a play-by-play of competition?

With a little bit of editing, you could have written a really meaningful piece.

The story could have started with a lead sentence and paragraph that acknowledges the tragedy in light of the competition. You could have said something like, "The Freeskiing World Tour has always been as much about its athletes as it is about the skiing itself, and the 2011 Kirkwood tour stop will forever serve as a reminder of FWT athlete Ryan Hawks."

And after giving Hawks' his due, the article could transition into the play-by-play coverage with, "In honor of Hawks, it's worth describing the level of insane riding that he and the other competitors displayed the day he died."

Newschoolers.com Editors & Writers, I greatly value and appreciate the stories and news you guys post on this site. But please remember that you are professional journalists and members of the media. The Newschoolers.com community deserves better, especially when it comes to topics with such gravity.

--Cody Raisig
(former Senior Editor, Freeskier Magazine)