Below find my comment to readers that will appear in Monday's edition of Warsaw Business Journal. We felt it was appropriate to place it here, on the blog, before WBJ went to press.
Dear readers,
It is rare that I take the opportunity as editor-in-chief to address you directly. As a newspaper, we like to keep to the standard Western newspaper profile, with simple news and opinion sections, and no weekly comment from the editor, which many weekly magazines have.
This week we break from that tradition for a very important reason – a missing little girl. Six-month-old Magda was kidnapped on Tuesday, and so far no trace of her has been found.
Some might ask why we, a business newspaper, would carry this story at all, much less place it in one of our most important sections (see this story, an edited version of "In the Spotlight" in next week's edition), as well as deviate from our standard opinion-page format. Unlike our usual coverage of politics, current events or economics, this story can in no way be construed to have any relevance to business, our main area of interest.
But we also have a very clear sense of community. Poland is our home as well, and the citizens who live and work here are members of a society to whom we feel a sense of responsibility. We cannot shirk this responsibility, with the resources we have at hand, to tell this story in the hopes that we may be able to contribute to bringing this saga to a happy end.
Therefore, not only are we devoting two pieces in this week's paper to Magda and her story, but we will also be following this story closely on our website and in future issues.
There may be those who will accuse me – as a father of two children under three years of age – of emotional attachment to this story. I plead guilty. Magda's story has touched me, as it has touched many in Poland. But as a journalist covering this community, I see nothing wrong with emotional attachment to that community, as long as we hold to our honest coverage of the news. In covering Magda's plight, I see no way in which we have deviated from that mission.
We therefore include a picture of Magda here. She is six months old, and according to the police she is between 60-70 cm (23-28 inches) in height, with olive eyes and short, dark-brown hair. Her front bottom tooth has just erupted.
She was last seen at 6 pm last Tuesday in Sosnowiec, in Poland's southwestern Silesia voivodship. She was wearing a pink hat with a white triangle in the front, a beige plush jacket-and-pants set with a zipper and white gloves. She was in a pink blanket and holding a multicolored teddy bear.
Police say that anyone who may have information regarding Magda's whereabouts should call the Sosnowiec Police at +48 (32) 296-1255, or the nearest police unit. In Poland, these can be reached by simply dialing 997.
As WBJ went to press there was already a reward of zł.130,000 (€30,000, $40,000, £25,000) being offered for information that leads to Magda.
We understand that among our readership there is little chance that someone may have such information. But there is a chance – and we know that it can't hurt to spread the word.
As we go to press on Friday evening, we also know that there is a chance that Magda could be found before we even reach our readers on Monday. We can only hope that will be the case.
In the meantime, as long as she has not been found, we must do what we can to help bring her home. Our sense of community and morality demands it.
Magda
Hair: dark brown
Eyes: olive green
Height: 60-70 cm
Clothes: pink hat, beige two-piece plush suit, pink blanket
Last seen: around 6 pm, January 24, 2012, Sosnowiec
Distinguishing features: one bottom front tooth
Those with information should call: +48 (32) 296-1255
For more information, including more photographs of baby Magda, please visit the website of the Katowice police (in Polish).
