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Another Georgia town celebrates closing of strip club

This picture will save at least 1,000 words: "Byron City Councilman Michael Chidester applauds as the Cafe Erotica sign falls Friday morning in Byron." And another 1,000 words: "Jeff Laborg, pastor at Second Baptist Church in Warner Robins, gives a shout and waves a Bible in the air as the Cafe Erotica sign comes down Friday morning in Byron."

This is the second publicized celebration -- in as many weeks -- of a Georgia strip-club closing. The other event also concerned a club owned by the late Jerry Sullivan.

Here is the article's opener:

Many people had hoped Cafe Erotica would close, but for seven years one of its former dancers prayed for it.

Rachel Simms, who danced there for nearly four years in the late '90s, is today a happily married Christian and church volunteer. She was among the people who watched the 'We Bare All' sign come down in Friday's 'grand closing ceremony.'

(Source)

The article offends my sense of journalistic integrity. The writer has gathered no feedback about the club's positive impact on former employees and the community. Surely the club couldn't have been all bad. If the article were strictly a biographical piece on Ms. Simms, it might pass for journalism. But it's not. The article reports on the staged demolition of the Byron club, and it features video and pictures of pastors & politicians to boot. In other words, it's a news piece. And that requires objectivity, which requires good ol' elbow grease, in reporting.

Full post as published by Meeting the Sin Laws on August 11, 2008 (boomark / email).