There is no conspiracy at this newspaper to give preferential treatment to either of the city’s high schools.

There, I’ve said it.

I feel much better now.

People warned me to let this sleeping dog lie, but I argued that this dog never slumbers.

So, like a fool ignoring the “beware of dog” sign, I’ll wander into the yard, risking both bark and bite.

Austin and Decatur met on the football field again Friday night.

I opened the paper Saturday morning to read every word about the game because I love football and I love a good rivalry.

But I don’t care who won.

I believe the rest of our editors and sportswriters feel the same way.

Like me, none of them graduated from either school.

I can’t say that both high schools have been treated exactly the same in every single instance from the dawn of time.

I can say that any perceived inequity is not intentional.

It’s impossible to keep track of the way we treated every school in every instance on every day in history.

When people let us know about honors and events, we try our best to put them in the paper.

Recently we received a scathing e-mail from a supporter at one school accusing us of writing a nice article about another school.

The writer said we did not give her school any coverage when it won a similar honor.

As it turns out we did report her school’s accomplishment.

People seem determined to find things to divide them.

Good folks get into bad fights over Fords and Chevys. They punch each other over Auburn and Alabama.

It’s Republican vs. Democrat, Methodist vs. Baptist, Southeast vs. Southwest, smoking vs. nonsmoking, boxers vs. briefs.

Rivalry has its place, but it can make us petty.

Maybe, in this town, it’s time we put the dog to sleep.

Scott Morris is managing editor.

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