Newtown Parking Sarcasm in Letter to the Editor of Bucks County Courier Times

In the January 28, 2020, edition of the Bucks County Courier Times (BCCT), a letter to the editor (LTE) titled "Newtown parking joke is on all of us" states that the "board of supervisors just announced a decision ... All of the new restaurants [in the Village at Newtown shopping center] would be opened as drive-through only" (see image).

Obviously, as you read on, this is an attempt at sarcasm. Matthew Allen, the author, suggests, for example, the Iron Hill Brewery would have overhead hoses that could pour you an IPA at a drive-through window, but ONLY if you were cool enough.

Ha, Ha! ROFLMAO!

Here's my problem with this. Some people might actually believe such a decision was made by the Board. After discussions with many residents I have learned that many people do not actually know who makes what decisions in Newtown. We have the Board of Supervisors (BOS), the Planning Commission, and the Zoning Hearing Board. Sometimes I am confused as well!

But worse than that is the lack of adequate communication with residents about actual decisions made by public officials. Sure, you are welcome to attend public meetings or watch the BOS meetings on TV (when the equipment is working) or via streaming video on the Township's website (yes, there is a website, but NO Facebook page or Twitter account). Other meetings like those of the all-important Zoning Hearing Board, however, are NOT televised!

In any case, poor communications should not be exasperated by "false communications." Therefore, I would suggest to the editors of the BCCT that they should tag sarcastic LTEs as such, especially when they could unintentionally spread false rumors about decisions made by the Board of Supervisors and other governing bodies. Our work is hard enough without having to defend ourselves against "fake news."

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Posted on 28 Jan 2020, 01:14 - Category: Communication