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A survivor speaks, a county boils, and a coach is still missing. We open with a raw statement read at a school board meeting that reframes a tabloid headline into a human story: shame that never belonged to a young woman and a community forced to wrestle with a potential culture of protection and silence. From the Appalachian search to the charges filed days after he vanished, we trace how institutions falter when accountability comes too late—and why people lose trust when leaders speak in euphemisms.

The conversation shifts to grief and judgment in real time. Within hours of Scott Adams’ death, timelines filled with verdicts about his soul and legacy. We push back on the performance of certainty, asking what we gain from fast moral takes and what we lose when we refuse humility. Public platforms can help us think through messy topics, but a microphone is not a mandate to abandon grace.

Then we get practical. The collapse of local news has erased the public record that used to anchor our towns: who voted yes, where the money went, which kids brought home the trophy. Without beat reporters, advocacy groups and influencers narrate local life, and algorithms reward heat over facts. We share why we launched SideEye Media, how volunteer writers can rebuild small, reliable reporting, and what it takes to make civic information clear and useful again—no print presses required, just standards, consistency, and a community willing to care.

If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves their hometown, and leave a review with one concrete idea for restoring local accountability where you live. Your idea might be the blueprint another listener needs.

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Liberty Line each week on Sunday, look for topics on my X file @americanistblog and submit your 1-3 audio opinions to anamericanistblog@gmail.com and you'll be featured on the podcast.

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Music by Alehandro Vodnik from Pixabay

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