Seldom do Watchdog postings not get some type of response from readers, either in the form of comments on the postings or emails about the postings.
With 370 postings, including this one, over a five year period, there has not been one comment from readers that was not approved for publishing, showing that readers are commenting in good taste.
For the most part Watchdog has made it a point to let the postings and comments speak for themselves, which then promotes reader interaction. Occasionally Watchdog will respond to a posting comment, and emails are answered when the sender makes a request.
Obviously the hotter the subject matter, the more often comments are submitted. Some of those topics include city council elections, including endorsements of candidates, smart meters, pending or approved ordinances, city budget, and expenses.
Not surprisingly, when Watchdog endorsed Steve Chirico for mayor, there was a strong response, not always flattering, but always in good taste. Comments included, “please get out of bed with Chirico”, “this is all happening under the leadership that the Watchdog glowingly endorsed” and my personal favorite, “Naperville Watchdog Turned Lap Dog”.
Council members, city officials, and candidates have taken exception to some postings, but again, all in good taste, and occasionally humorous.
Even postings of lesser importance including a reader who took issue with Watchdog’s most recent posting, “Naperville’s Newest Downtown Eyesore”. The reader stated that the city staff member mentioned was not the city’s project manager (which she was), and that an entire paragraph was “completely misleading” (which it wasn’t). Most importantly the reader took the time to read the posting, ponder it, and then follow up with his comments.
Watchdog readers are proof, that we can all agree to disagree without being disagreeable. The bottom line is that we are all in this together, all doing the best we can, to make things as good as possible.
