You know how sometimes you'll be reading the newspaper, and then suddenly you find an unexpected article in there about you...? No? Well I now do.

Today I found an article about me in the Sunday edition of the area's major newspaper, the Charlotte Observer. I don't mean that I just happen to be mentioned - it was actually about me. The subtitle reads "Steele Creek resident shares 2 local finds" Was I surprised? Hell yes! I was unaware that there would be an article on me in the first place, but I was especially taken aback since I was personally identified by first and last name after I told the reporter on the phone that I did not want my name to be printed in the newspaper, and the reason why. I suppose I have to give the reporter the benefit of the doubt that she may have misunderstood an email where I said it was okay with her knowing my real name, but I never gave her permission to print it in the newspaper and online.

In any case, the article is about how Maegan and I enjoy letterboxing. It's a nice little article and I assume the reporter meant well, but since it's already out there, here's what she now attached my name to:

1. The article mentions that I found that many letterboxes are located in McDowell Park. (I haven't found any of them yet and I'll write more about that next Spring.) Did park rangers know about these boxes? If so, do they mind that they're there? Did the reporter's publishing of this fact (now associated with my name) possibly jeopardize all of those letterboxes that others enjoy?
2. The article mentions that I found two letterboxes in Tega Cay, SC this summer and includes links that I shared (with her). Non-residents are not permitted in Tega Cay parks so they most certainly don't want boxes which invite non-residents like me to come, park, and search around. Are these boxes now in jeopardy because of this article? Unlike McDowell Park, I do think that these Tega Cay boxes are now in jeopardy.
3. The article says that we plan to plant a few of our own letterboxes in the area. That's true but thanks for publicizing in the newspaper that I plan to hide stuff on public land.

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Updated:

I was asked why I was talking to a reporter about letterboxing in the first place and why I wouldn't expect an article to come from it. About a month ago the reporter asked in the newspaper if anybody in the area letterboxed so I contacted her. We spoke conversationally for a few minutes (not like I was being interviewed for an article about me) and I thought that was it.

The next week she wrote a micro-article about letterboxing in which she specifically asked if anybody knew how to contact a specific letterboxer by their trail name. I recognized that trail name from the letterboxes we had found in Tega Cay a few weeks earlier so I was trying to be nice and helpful and emailed her a link to that person's online profile so that she could contact him/her herself. Her reply to me was "I realize that" (which was not only curt but quite odd since she publicly asked for help in finding that person). In any case, that seemed like the end of it again and I wouldn't have expected any more articles on letterboxing to be in the paper.

Then two weeks later that article shows up unexpectedly, about me, with personal details about me, and about boxes in the area. I'm sorry but it's irresponsible to write an article about a non-famous person (who helped you) without asking their permission. It's irresponsible to publish somebody's full name after you explain that you do not want to be identified. And it is irresponsible to publish the location of items in the newspaper that you know are supposed to be hidden.

I was trying to be helpful to somebody who was asking for help and now innocent people's letterboxes are in jeopardy of being removed and other local letterboxers are probably pissed off at me (as if I had written the article myself). WTF!

Labels: Charlotte, letterboxing