Dear editorial staff,

I try to grab a copy of the Gallup Sun when I see it, and I follow you on Facebook. Thank you for helping me stay up to date on local news.

I am writing to you regarding two sections in your July 31st issue.

First, while I commend you for including diverse viewpoints in your Opinions section, I am disappointed you chose to print “Return America’s foundational freedoms” by Melissa Martin. Not only is it poorly written and full of unsubstantiated, partisan claims, it is absolutely inappropriate for a Gallup newspaper. To make her point that “it’s essential that citizens start listening less to the alarmist Anthony Fauci”, she quotes the Heritage foundation, stating “the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. has been heavily concentrated in a small number of states-- and among a small number of counties within states”. McKinley County is one of those counties!

I am a physician and have cared for numerous patients who have been affected by this disease. Some families have lost multiple relatives. I have witnessed firsthand the suffering COVID-19 has caused in our community. I find it extremely insensitive and offensive that you would print an opinion by an outsider whose callous view is that COVID-19 is somehow not a big deal.

Second, I read your “Weekly Police Activity Reports” with dismay. The second report, “Family Dispute”, is a sad story about a young man struggling with alcohol addiction. I hate to think how he or his family felt reading about their private problems in a public newspaper. Alcohol addiction is a disease. I have treated a lot of patients just like that young man. Publicly shaming him and embarrassing his family is unfair and may only make things worse for them.

Thank you for your time,
Elizabeth Mann M.D.