We screwed up. Plain and simple.
There was no malice behind it … just a lack of forethought, as all fellow humans are occasionally prone to.
The entire staff of Polk County Publishing Company is heartbroken over the horrific flooding event that occurred in Kerr County over the holiday weekend and we are continuing to grieve the tragic loss of lives along with our fellow Texans.
We strive to provide the news – both good and bad – and keep our communities informed in a variety of platforms and methods in order to accommodate the preferences of our readers. To that end, our company produces four newspapers in four counties, a full-color quarterly magazine that is distributed in over 31 counties throughout the East Texas region, a fairly comprehensive website, individual Facebook pages for each of our newspapers and a twice-a-week digital newsletter on behalf of all four newspapers that is disseminated via email.
The offense in question is a cartoon that ran in our Friday, July 11 newsletter. It depicts a family sitting in lawn chairs around a campfire next to an RV that is parked beside a river with the mother commenting, “Let’s never go back.” I imagine she is referring to the relaxing and peaceful setting and time spent with the ones she loves most, as opposed to the daily grind of the rat race, global unrest, a divided nation and the cacophony of the 24-hour news cycle incessantly spouting doom and gloom.
Ordinarily, there would be nothing questionable about this particular cartoon. It’s a family that is unplugged, enjoying nature and spending quality time with either other in a scenic locale. In light of the tragedy, however, the cartoon comes across as tone-deaf and has offended our readers. That was not the intent and for that we are profoundly sorry.
