"The views of Ralph Nichols are his own, and do not necessarily reflect those of Robinson Newspapers." Is this statement true? Robinson Newspapers provides Mr. Nichols the opportunity to rant and rave about any issue that moves his narrow view of the world. Unfortunately for the Robinson Newspapers, Mr. Nichols slips in his personal views through sophomoric attempts at "objective" journalism. Take the Highline Times article on September 26, 2007. In this front-page article, with a Ralph Nichols by-line, about a large condo development in Burien, Mr. Nichols includes a statement declaring that with Seattle annexation of White Center, Burien will not have adequate fire services in its northern neighborhoods.

He does not offer clarifying information. Instead, he "salts" his "objective" article with a statement to frighten Burien residents and push his agenda to give the people of North Highline only Burien as our annexation option.

What Mr. Nichols leaves strategically and, I believe, intentionally unsaid, is that (1) the Burien City Council, with all of its complexities, would never allow any Burien neighborhood fire service to decline, and (2) Seattle has offered to continue contracting North Burien fire service coverage (at a higher level than is now available) if Burien would work with Seattle in Olympia to find a legislative funding solution that allows all of North Highline to go to Seattle, and still assist Burien in addressing the costs for not annexing.

These are important facts that any objective journalist would have included to balance the article. But not Mr. Nichols.

Robinson Newspapers has a long, honorable history in community journalism that is founded on objective, community-focused reporting. Allowing Mr. Nichols to "salt" his "objective" news articles with his personal views reflects poorly on the constitutional gift of journalism, and on the good will that Mr. Robinson has worked so hard to promote and protect.

Mark L. Ufkes

North Highline

Editor's note: The fire-service reference in the article cited was not generated by the reporter. Rather, it was included in a broader quotation from former state Rep. Toni Lysen in opposition to the Westmark development. The focus of the article was the proposed condominiums and not North Highline annexation.