ethical dilemma

There was an article in the paper about HVSS and it was really positive. It was wonderful. My problem is that there are a couple of quotes from me but I didn't really say them. This makes me feel so uncomfortable. One of them was on the front page of the paper as a "Quote of the Week". Am I being naiive? Is this something that is just standard practice with newspapers? I wouldn't mind being misquoted but straight up fabrication just feels so wrong. and I never actually spoke to the person with the byline. why don't they give the guy who did the interview a little credit? I feel like I'm part of a hoax. Maybe I'm making too big a deal of it but I guess I think that newspapers have a responsibility to be truthful. The phrase public trust keeps coming to mind. Now I don't feel like I can trust anything I read in that paper.

I considered writing a note thanking them for the article but objecting to the quotes. I don't really know what I want them to do though- print a correction? Never write about the school again? I think it's just best that I not be involved in this sort of thing in the future. Being dishonest, even passively, for the benefit of the school does not sit well with me.

Is it OK to do the right thing for the wrong reason or to do the wrong thing for the right reason? (If this was an episode of Sex and the city there would now be a scene that involved me discussing this while buying shoes) (I have shoes on the brain because I just had to get rid of 7 or 8 pairs of some really cute ones because my foot is suddenly a 1/2 size bigger than it used to be-another side effect of having kids!) (but I digress)

I just explained my feelings to Ray and he said no one would believe me. Now I'm thinking about all the trash mags I read and he's right, even when you know something is preposterous, seeing it in print does give it this mystical air of veracity(there's an awkward phrase). Well, there's nothing mystical about it, there's an assumption that the person writing the article has taken the time to make sure that what they are saying is true, but why do we assume that anymore? How frustrating it must be for people to read distorted or untrue accounts of events involving them.

the bottom line is that I'm going to let it go, it's not that big a deal(even though it really is!) and hopefully more merit will be generated by generating more interest and hopefully more students for our wonderful school than damage will be done by letting people get away with sloppy reporting. But don't quote me on that.