Let’s talk about our trucker story

We had a lot of reader response to our story about truckers last week, and thought you might want to hear how the local angle was developed.

We decided to localize the story about the potential for duplication in the United States of the “Freedom Convoy” in Canada. The movement began with truckers who objected to new COVID-19 vaccine, testing and quarantine requirements for those who crossed the border, and developed into a more general protest of government mandates.

Some readers questioned why we wrote about this issue, while a few cheered on the truckers. Readers went back and forth on vaccine mandates in the comment section, with one saying she was disappointed we wrote the story. Another wrote a letter to the editor, published Feb. 23, saying the story should have been in the opinion section.

We published the piece as a top story on theday.com Feb. 18 under the headline, “Truck-stop polling: Drivers oppose COVID-19 vaccination mandates.” The story ran top of the fold in our print edition the next day.

We wanted to see whether this movement — characterized as right-wing in the national media — was gaining momentum in the United States. We’re situated on a major trucking route along the Northeast Corridor. Would we be affected by highway blockades and supply chain issues? What are the thoughts of truckers who pass through our part of the country?

At our Monday news meeting that week, Staff Writer Brian Hallenbeck volunteered to go to the truck stop in North Stonington and talk to drivers. Hallenbeck has a busy beat, covering business and health care, and we were grateful he stepped up. He’s as thorough and thoughtful a reporter as you’ll see, and it’s a joy to work within a few feet of him in the newsroom.

Hallenbeck went to the truck stop and talked to eight drivers, some of whom refused to be interviewed or give their names. He ended up quoting four men in his story. Two said they were vaccinated, one said he wasn’t, and the fourth didn’t disclose his vaccine status but opined about personal liberties and asserted that mandatory vaccines are “a slippery slope.”

This was by no means a comprehensive report on the issue, just one aspect of it, and Hallenbeck told me this week that the suggested headline he wrote about polling, which we used in both the online and print editions, was tongue in cheek. Some readers objected to the use of “polling,” and we realize now our intent in using the word was unclear.

When I edited the story, I thought the headline was clever and didn’t see any misinformation about the effectiveness of vaccines. Had I,

or the others who edited the story after me, seen misinformation, we would have asked Hallenbeck to include what the experts have said about the vaccines.

We’ll note here that The Day has done an excellent job covering the coronavirus and roll-out of the vaccines. Reporter Erica Moser, author of several “Frequently Asked Questions” articles on the topic of vaccines, has been impressively dedicated, reading scientific studies and conducting multiple interviews with local medical and public health experts before writing her stories. We’ve also reached out to, and reported on, those who refuse the vaccine.

Interviewing the truckers provided an opportunity to hear another point of view, whether or not we, or our readers, agree with their opinions. Hallenbeck wrote that the truckers “to a man,” told him they were opposed to government overregulation.

“The truckers have valid opinions,” Hallenbeck said when we spoke this week. “They’re entitled to them. We don’t have to agree. By the same token, he (the letter writer) is entitled to his opinion.”

Hallenbeck pointed out that we had set about localizing a national story, though the truckers he spoke to were not local and were just passing through the region. He had seen local social media posts supporting the “People’s convoy” being planned domestically, however, so he included information in the story about a local effort to raise funds for the truckers, similar to others taking place across the country. We’ll be watching how it develops.

We hope this insight into the reporting process is helpful, and we want you to know we appreciate your engagement with our work, even when you’re critical.