July 20th, 1889
Dear Mr. Abernathy,I am writing in response to the article you wrote covering the murder, apparently at the hands of a werewolf, of a Muggle man in Cambridgeshire on July 13th, which appeared in print on page twelve of the Daily Prophet on July 15th.
I take issue with the tone of your article, and more specifically with the phrase "in cold blood" as it implies an agency similar to human-on-human murder which is entirely inappropriate. Our understanding of werewolves is, of course, very limited given that we as wizardkind have neglected to consider them as worthy of thought or study despite living side by side for centuries, but we do know that werewolves lose their human sense of morality and self while transformed, and that if this deed was perpetrated by a werewolf it would not have been done by choice. In fact, due to the lack of other incidents in this area it seems quite plausible that if a werewolf is residing in this area they have taken great pains to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the past and probably give a great deal more thought to the safety and wellbeing of those around them than the average witch or wizard does.
While we will likely never know the exact situation surrounding the events in Cambridgeshire on July 13th, the rhetoric pursued by your article is not only misguided but actively harmful to society, as it increases the stigma for those afflicted with lycanthropy and prevents those who have recently been infected with seeking appropriate support services, which only increases the odds of another tragedy and perpetuates this cycle. We as wizards must do better, for all our sakes — and particularly as a journalist you ought to have more integrity and take some responsibility for the things you write, not carelessly rehash the same tired narrative that has been trotted out for these sorts of incidents for years, just to put a more sensationalist spin on your headline.
Expecting better from the press;
M
M
Kieran Abernathy
Prof. Marlowe Forfang
Jules