Re: Mooney pleads guilty to sexual assault, The Chief, Feb. 20. It was very upsetting to see your handling of the Ryan Mooney sentencing in your recent article. The repeated mentions of Broadway or Bust and the inflammatory tone of the article are inappropriate for a small, local paper.
As the current owner and director of Broadway or Bust, I was disappointed that I was not contacted to provide a comment on the article. Broadway or Bust is a locally developed youth program aimed at developing the performing arts community in Squmamish. Broadway or Bust cares deeply about our contribution to the community and we have worked very hard to develop a strong reputation for having both great productions and a positive, supportive rapport with our students. It was devastating to see our name aligned so closely with negative events that did not take place during a Broadway or Bust session, or involve a Broadway or Bust participant.
It was also shocking to read the detailed and sensational nature in which the charge was described. There are many young people in our community who had a teacher-student relationship with Ryan Mooney.
They were deeply shaken when charges of sexual exploitation were laid against someone they trusted. The tone of your article does not leave room for forgiveness or closure, but instead deepens the wounds of all those involved with hurtful particulars.
This article is potentially destructive to Broadway or Bust as well as many local young people and could have been written in a way that provided information, without being damaging. In the future, please consider whether your articles are doing a service or a disservice to this community.
Melissa Braun
Artistic director
Broadway or Bust Performing Arts
