I'm disappointed that the paper failed to mention the recent ethics complaint filed against Rep. Pruitt regarding her alleged misuses of campaign funds.

More here.

Often it seems The Tennessean's editors sit around thinking of ways to keep their readers as uninformed as possible. It's very difficult to get information about state legislation into that paper. Or info on political candidates if they aren't favored by the paper. Major decisions are made that affect all of our lives in this state, and The Tennessean, at best (if at all), condescends to fling out a few sentences after it's too late for the people to influence those decisions. I am baffled but resigned. We have to cultivate other outlets for information.

To Mr. Public: The information on the Pruitt ethics complaint was in the Tennessean I read.

To Ms. Locke: Given all that the Tennessean has uncovered this year, from shredding-gate to the THP scandal to mis-use of state money every which way, to say that the "Tennessean's editors sit around thinking of ways to keep their readers as uninformed as possible," seems to paint the paper a bit unfairly with a broad brush.

If it weren't for state Rep. Stacey Campfield's blog, there's a lot of stuff we still wouldn't know, because The Tennessean chose not to report it.

For years, I've had to use other outlets, including blogs, to get information to Tennesseans about some important state bills. Mainstream reporters weren't interested, and The Tennessean usually does not publish my letters to the editor (trust me, I know how to write one), so I pretty much stopped submitting any letters or op-eds to that paper. But pay attention, you will see the same letter writers crop on The Tennessean's letters page week after week, month after month, year after year. I called this to the managing editor's attention after he told me the paper simply cannot publish everyone's letters. He ran a check and admitted, yes, the writers I named did have a number of letters published.

Watch that three-star-letter jive as well. On July 11, Bobby Bass had an eloquent and important letter published in The Tennessean that should have been at the top left with three-star status. The letter was about the death of Bass's daughter because of an illegal-alien driver. But no, some letter not nearly as worth our while or as relevant to our lives was flagged for our attention. You can read the two letters, still posted at tennessean.com.

I remember when The Tennessean stuck all letters even vaguely protesting U.S. immigration policy down at the bottom right of the letters section, if such letters got in at all.

If the paper isn't informing you in a full, fair, and balanced way about immigration issues, what else is it not telling you?

I could go on, but why bother?

I'm sorry, Ms. Locke, that the Tennessean does not print your letters to the editor, but that side steps the issue. Your claim was that the paper's editors try to keep their readers uninformed. The investigations that the paper has undertaken don't support that claim, it seems to me.

And Campfield's blog certainly has given greater insight into how the capitol works, but he has not provided the investigative reports that the Tennessean has... nor should he be expected to. He's one person compared to the Tennessean, which has rows of reporters.

That said, if you can't make your voice heard at the Tennessean, than it seems you've done the right thing for you by going to other outlets. All of that -- blogs, as well as a Tennessean that is investigating government -- have made all of us better informed.