John raises a lot of good points. However, I think the issue about the chief in Wolfeboro comes down to our trust in local government and trust in the media reporting instances of corruption and bad dealing by our government officials.
Take for example the former chief of police in Gilford. He was widely celebrated, not for being a great cop, but for his sexual orientation. Articles upon articles in the LDS lauded him on this aspect of his life. However, when he was placed on leave and ultimately dismissed, hardly an article has been written. The LDS was too invested in its prior narrative, so it has chosen to give the matter a good leaving alone.
There are other instances of bad reporting - we only heard one side of the Gunstock issue. There is another side that is worthy of discussion.
As taxpayers, we have the right to be informed when our government officials behave badly or spend our money unwisely. Of course, we have to balance our rights against the rights of the individual being charged. However, it seems like our rights as taxpayers depend on whether there is a political aspect to the malfeasance.
As citizens, we have the right to a fair and unbiased reporting of these matters. In this case, we can't have that level of confidence since we have been burned in the past.
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