Located front and center of the front page of the Sun Journal, Feb. 22, was an information box misleadingly titled Snowmobiling. Being an avid snowmobiler, I was disappointed and upset to read that gross example of careless journalism.

I don’t know if that particular writer was just careless or had a malicious intent to further the stereotype of snowmobilers as a bunch of yahoos and drunks. The opening statement reports that Maine game warders cited six “snowmobilers” and one ATV rider for driving while under the influence of alcohol. Five of those persons were charged while participating in the Schoodic Lake ice fishing derby.

Page A8 of the same issue states plainly that the OUI occurred while participating in the derby.

Isn’t an ice fisherman who happens to be on a snowmobile or an ATV still an ice fisherman?

Those people were no more snowmobilers than a man with a gun standing in downtown Lewiston would be a hunter.

If a person robbed a bank and got away on a snowmobile, would that person be a snowmobiler or a bank robber?

Drunk ice fishermen are not snowmobilers.

Keep the story straight and don’t make responsible snowmobilers bear the weight of added negative publicity due to poor writing techniques.

Tom Dube, Greene