A peaceful story hour & an inaccurate headline

I was fussing a little yesterday morning about the potential for ugliness at an afternoon drag story hour, a privately funded event held in rented quarters at the downtown Des Moines Public Library. 

Iowa's gotten quite enough bad press this year as the Legislature targeted LGBTQ+ folks, among others, and in other states similar far-right campaigns have generated a good deal of ugliness directed toward drag performers and events like the Sunday afternoon story hour.

But there seems to have been peace in the valley here. A crowd estimated at more than 200 packed the room where the event was held; those opposed to it gathered in a non-confrontational "prayer circle" outside.

The Des Moines Register published quite a long report this morning under the headline, "Crowds gather for Des Moines Public Library's first drag story hour."

The difficulty here --- the headline inaccurately implies that the story hour was a library-sponsored event. 

The Des Moines Public Library system, or any other library in the state, certainly would be within its rights to schedule a drag story hour if the decision were made to do so. But this was a privately funded event sponsored by Iowa Safe Schools with Polk County Supervisor Matt McCoy covering the bills.

The media struggle these days to overcome accusations of bias --- and actually conveying misinformation in a headline, no matter how insignificant it may seem, really is an issue. My old copy editing professor, Fr. John B. Bremner, would not be amused. I can almost hear him yelling now.