Editor, Gazette-Journal:

Many years ago, I remember a national newspaper’s motto being, "All the News That’s Fit to Print" or something to that effect. When did our news outlets sell their souls in the name of profit and market share?

I understand newspapers and networks survive by selling advertising and providing the news as a way to create readership, but fanning a fire such as the birther conspiracy was plain wrong. To write this letter denouncing the media’s role in this gives it more life than it deserves, but a point must be made.

Don’t get me wrong. Investigating a story such as this, no matter how unlikely it is, should be done, but once discredited it should be ignored. To give stories such as this space for two years when real issues exist can only be pandering.

One might ask what the motivation behind the high acceptance among certain groups was and what the media’s role was. Answering this would be good journalism and could...