Retired newspaperman Hugh Clark, who was a mainstay of the press corps in Hilo for decades, sent an email yesterday that’s highly critical the failure of reporters to get behind the press releases and prepared statements of public officials to ferret out the “why” behind stories of concern to the community.

I’m sharing Hugh’s message in full.

I call your attention to poor reporting on significant stories on the N Isles.

Police Chief Darryl Perry on Kauai, whom I have never met but almost always heard and read positive things about, was restored to his job today with no explanation of why he was suspended by the mayor in dubious actions. Where’s the beef?

(I know Hawaii’s mayors from Hilo to Honolulu can and have developed what I call the emperor’s complex, but the media is supposed to keep them accountable to the electorate. And not just by damning editorials but solid, complete as possible reporting.)

In Waimea, veteran educator John Colson, whom I have known for more than 30 years as a splendid school leader with impeccable ethics, was released as Waimea Intermediate Charter School principal with no reason provided. Resigned, discharge or fired? The correct term is not explained in any stories I have read by seven reporters in four outlets.

Have they become slaves to official utterances?

If education is important and charter schools supposed to be a good step to break up an intractable statewide system, I think this outcome destroys hope we may have had of locally controlled schools. News of this canning came from a Honolulu board room.

I have the questions but darn few answers.

Here you have two superior guys with fine reputations caught in some kind of mystery cross fire no one has explained.

The “why” is a damned important element in news. Why has it been discarded?

Aloha, Hugh

Stories on Perry’s return to the job yesterday appeared in the Garden Island, Star-Advertiser, and elsewhere.