The ✅ or ❌ fact check for the LTE can be found here.
The following was sent to us by a reader –
At the June 10 Select Board meeting, the RCTV standard contract renewal was under discussion. Chair Chris Haley has been consistently vocal about his opposition to RCTV leadership. At the end of that discussion, he asserted that in 2021, “The reason that all of this was found out was because of a Killam Elementary School field trip was in Town Hall and then the kids were broadcast down at RCTV.” He went on to say, “So apparently kids being broadcast, we’re okay with that happening for some reason. That’s okay. And not for nothing you know who was here last week? The Killam Elementary School field trip. All of the sudden kids don’t matter here anymore.” Here is a link to his statements.
The truth that residents should know is that children were never recorded without permission by RCTV either at the studio or while visiting Town Hall on a field trip (a former member of the RCTV Board verified this). What Chair Haley said was misleading and insulting to the wonderful staff at RCTV.
RCTV has been a valuable service in Reading for decades and is widely supported among residents. But it’s clear there’s a very real possibility that board members Haley, Murphy, and Bacci will vote NOT to extend its contract in September. This means we would lose all the benefits of having a local public access television station. Under threat of not renewing the contract Haley, Murphy, and Bacci seemingly want to influence how RCTV is staffed and run, even though they have no legal authority to do so.
If the few issues discussed at the 6/10 meeting were so significant then it’s unclear why Chair Haley and Vice Chair Murphy did not address them fully before Chair Haley decided to throw clickbait bombs at the meeting. It’s disappointing that their tactic seems to be casting aspersions at RCTV when the Select Board could have been engaging more effectively with RCTV’s staff and Board of Directors to address any concerns. We need leaders who can work with others to resolve problems, not create them.
In a perfect world we would never have to spend our time addressing elected officials’ specious claims, used to defame reputations and influence outcomes. Instead of building trust this political theater fosters dysfunction and misinformation, often leading to wild speculation and misplaced outrage on social media, along with valuable time spent getting to the truth instead of responsible governing. And worse than wasting time, from their public facing positions office holders can potentially do real harm to the individuals and organizations who are the targets of their unsubstantiated allegations.
Facts matter for a transparent, trustworthy, and functional government, it’s that simple. When the stakes are high, like the risk of losing a beloved local cable studio and pushing its staff out of their jobs, office-holders should not move on without correcting the record. Whenever possible damage done should be undone or mitigated. Ms. Murphy and Mr. Haley not only owe the public the truth, they owe our community a commitment that they’ll work in good faith to renew RCTV’s contract so that recorded public meetings, public access to RCTV equipment, and educational and career-building opportunities for Reading’s students will continue.
Click here to watch the entire 6/10 RCTV discussion.
Carolyn Johnson
Thorndike St.
P2 Town Meeting Member
