This letter is about the article by Greg Grisolano (Globe, Nov. 13) with regard to two Kansas students winning a national award for their film about concentrated animal-feeding operations.
The article is about two young Pittsburg State University men who won first place in Collegiate Broadcasters Inc., a national organization that recognizes student achievement in media. This award was won with a documentary they did about CAFOs, Roaring River, and the environment called “Everyone Lives Downstream.’’
Everyone living in this area should be proud of their achievement.
Online, under the comments section to this story, there are a couple of people who wrote in criticizing the documentary and myself for complimenting them in the article. One quote is about “the Riedel guy, who has put out volumes of misinformation before.’’ I am that Riedel guy. I have written articles concerning our water supply and all the impaired streams and rivers in Southwest Missouri. Volumes might be a slight exaggeration.
The two people with negative comments also talk about it being one-sided and that “a film that only shows one side of an issue isn’t a documentary.” These two people did not see the film or they would know better. The Department of Natural Resources and the Missouri Conservation Department are interviewed. As to the comment “they should have interviewed the people with the CAFO in Roaring River,” the owners were given an opportunity to participate, and they declined.
Do any of you readers out there think it is strange that we have two documentary experts in the area that can negatively critique a documentary without seeing it and yet a group of professionals who judge documentaries from all over the United States can give a first-place award to these Pittsburg State students?
Could it be they are concerned about the awareness this documentary is bringing to the public about CAFOs?
James Riedel
Eagle Rock
