Point of Origin Found in St. Elmo United Methodist Church Fire

I just read all the WDEF reports and, as a former journalist, the initial reporting seems sensational and irresponsible. The National Enquirer can attribute every quote and source that has Elvis still alive, but that does not make it responsible journalism.

The quotations in the story make it very clear that investigating all leads is standard procedure in a fire with so much damage. Nobody from the community is quoted as saying s/he believes it was a hate crime. "Some in the community ask" is not only a nebulous statement but also does not come near an actual assertion or theory. The statement about KKK symbols should have been checked out. Does the reporter really think such a thing would have happened recently and not been reported, and therefore, in WDEF's recent files? Was it responsible to quote someone who is not even a member of the church but who instead was sharing information gleaned through the community grapevine? Noooooo.

The fire took place Sunday, August 23. The story was posted August 26. In three days, there was more than enough time for a responsible journalist to:

--Verify the accuracy of the alleged KKK symbols.
--Quote a church official instead of just a community resident.
--Interview other church members and, in addition to asking if they thought there was any reason the fire might not be accidental, written about church members showing that a fire can destroy a building but not their church.
--Ask the investigators if an accidental cause had been ruled out and quoted the response.
--Attribute the idea of the church being targeted to a specific person.
--Attribute the use of the term "liberal" to a source instead of making that judgment on her own, even if for her it did not have a negative connotation.
--Have the courage to use the words "welcoming," "diverse" and "gay-friendly" instead of beating around the bush with the term "liberal." If you look at the Christian Gospels rather than man's theology, St Elmo UMC is conservative in its steadfastness to Christ's teachings.

I am not a member of that church and no longer live in Chattanooga, but it is too bad that WDEF has not offered a follow-up story on how the spirit of a church is not vanquished with a fire.

John Divine McGee
Atlanta, Georgia

My Name is Scott Medley and I am Chairman of Trustees at St. Elmo United Methodist Church. The statement made in this article:

"But some in the community ask if the church could have been targeted for its liberal congregation... Just months ago Charles Kings says KKK symbols were spray painted on the church's sign."

is NOT factual information. KKK was not painted on our church sign. The letters KKK are in fact spray painted twice on the rear building brickwork. This was not painted just months ago. It is very faded and could have been there as long as 15 years ago. Also, St. Elmo United Methodist Church is not a "liberal" congregation. We are a "Christian" congregation who ministers to everyone. We ask that the media not sensationalize our loss of our church building. We are grieving and we would appreciate a retraction of this non-factual information. We appreciate the media, but please be sensitive during our time of tragic loss. Thank you.