Weekly newspaper in Kentucky prints its editorial again to rebut local official's letter

When it comes to debate on the editorial page, The Licking Valley Courier, a weekly newspaper in West Liberty, Ky., knows how to get in the last word.

On Sept. 20, the 4,500-circulation newspaper ran an editorial denouncing the aborted prosecution of Morgan County Judge Executive Tim Conley, who was the first Republican elected (now twice elected) to that position in 70 years. The editorial called a special grand jury that indicted Conley "the product of an ill-advised and destructive political vendetta." The charges, of using county assets on private property, were dropped but could be refiled.

In its Sept. 27 edition, the paper published a letter from County Attorney Steve O'Connor, saying the editorial "missed the point and seeks in its own way to influence the pending legal proceeding for political purposes — the same sort that the Courier claims to dislike." The letter was followed by an editor's note saying, "Last week's editorial was about fairness and decency and common sense and human judgment, and it did not miss the point. It is reprinted elsewhere on the page." And so it was, with the identification of Editor and Publisher Earl W. Kinner as a Democrat. Also on the page was "The Judge's Corner," a letter from Conley, in which he discussed the biggest story of the week in Morgan County, the upcoming Sorghum Festival. The front page had a color photo of the nominees for Sorghum Queen, wearing overalls.