The Mayor’s Office of Lexington is calling a local media outlet’s reporting “gutter-level journalism” following a story that examined online questions about snow removal on a residential street where Linda Gorton owns a home.
The dispute stems from an article examining online speculation about why Beechmont Road, a neighborhood street designated as Priority 4 under the city’s snow and ice plan, appeared to have been cleared more thoroughly than some other residential roads following Winter Storm Fern. The controversial piece ran as a part of the Herald-Leader’s “Reality Check” series.
The social media post that drew attention to the issue appeared on Reddit under the headline, “I dunno why y’all are complaining — my street is totally clear,” alongside a photo of a plowed roadway. A caption beneath the image read, “jk this is the mayor’s street lol,” signaling the post was intended as satire while still referencing a real location…