Rankled by faults in article

Editor: I don’t often take time to write to editors, but I felt moved to do so by the headline “Sewer rate rollback ‘devastating’” in the Oct. 15 Argus-Courier.

I feel the headline is biased. It screams opposition to the proposed rate rollback. Readers just glancing at headlines would see only that. Only in the second line of the much smaller sub-headline does it state, “but backers ...”

This make it seem like the Argus opposes the rate rollback. If so, an opinion piece would be apropos on the editorial page.

A more balanced headline would have been something to the effect of “Differing opinions on sewer rate rollback.”

Actually, I am opposed to the rate rollback, so I’m not just writing as an outraged supporter, just as an unbiased reader.

In addition, in the penultimate paragraph, there is an indirect quote ending with “Ban said.” Who is Ban? I have perused the article and even did a search online for the word “Ban,” and it appears only there. There is no preceding reference regarding who Ban might be. Sloppy reporting or proofreading or editing.

Certainly not a big deal, but I was rankled by these faults in the article.

George Bereschik, Petaluma

(Editor’s note: Mike Ban is the city’s director of water resources.)