As a journalist, I strive to keep my journalistic integrity and to stay unbiased in my writing. As a human being, I have an opinion. As a reporter, I can’t show it. This typically hasn’t been an issue for me — I get facts and other people’s views and then write an article based on these. It’s been pretty easy for me to keep my opinion out of my articles. Now, enter Scott Johnson. (Read the article that spurred this column here.)
Most business owners recognize Johnson’s name because he has sued the majority of businesses in Truckee and North Tahoe for minor violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. He is one of the most prolific filers of ADA lawsuits in California, having filed more than 2,000 of these types of lawsuits on his own behalf, and putting countless mom and pop shops out of business throughout Northern California. For me, it is an important issue to cover so our readers know he is back in the area targeting local businesses. But it also turns out I have a strong opinion on this subject, and it was difficult for me to stay unbiased while writing the article.
You see, I have a son with a disability. Though he is not in a wheelchair like Johnson, he wears leg braces and needs significant help walking and going up and down stairs. Many times I have a 40-pound 6-year-old on one hip while I try to maneuver through grocery aisles, restaurants, restrooms, etc., essentially one-handed. Although getting around is difficult, if I had a serious issue with accessing a business then I would contact that business. I personally know many of the business owners who were recently sued by Johnson, and they are reasonable folks. If Johnson had contacted them prior to a lawsuit, they most likely would have complied.
However, this isn’t really about making businesses become ADA-compliant. It’s about lining Johnson’s pockets with cash. And this is where my inner journalist conflicts with my personal life. As a journalist, I do research, dig up facts, interview those involved, then pore over the information to write a cohesive and unbiased article. But as a mom of a child with a disability, it is difficult for me to be empathetic towards Johnson. In this case, the facts speak for themselves: Johnson has filed lawsuits against thousands of businesses without having contacted them. He finds minor infractions like the toilet paper roll is in the wrong spot or the markings in the parking lot are faded, and he asks for upwards of $25,000 for said infractions. And he doesn’t even go into the business — he sends his employees, rulers and cameras in hand, to find the infractions. It is pretty obvious here what his intentions are, and this makes me angry.
Yes, I am a journalist. But I am also a member of this community — living, working, and playing here. I actually frequent some of the businesses he has targeted. Some of the owners have contacted me stating they were in the middle of bringing their businesses up to ADA standards when they were slapped with Johnson’s lawsuit, and now they have to use their meager funds to pay Johnson instead of completing their upgrades. It is clear these types of lawsuits benefit no one but Johnson. They are not benefiting the business owner, any other disabled person, or the community. I see this as an injustice, and one of the reasons I became a journalist was to write about the injustices in the world. To speak out. To make a difference.
This is one time when my human and journalistic parts intertwine beautifully, giving more punch and passion to the written words on the page. Because if journalists didn’t care or have an opinion about these sorts of things, these articles would never get written and injustices would continue to happen. So, in the case of Johnson and his ADA lawsuits, I am just fine with having an opinion.
~ Comment on this column below.
