EDITORIAL:

It’s not comfortable, or enjoyable.

But it’s necessary.

A public figure’s business is largely, well, public. That’s not to say that a public figure has no right to privacy. He or she does. We in the media should set limits on our prying.

But in the case of City Councilwoman Linda Dixon’s son being arrested — and ultimately convicted of misdemeanor battery that resulted in a sentencing of 40 hours of community service and three years of probation — Dixon, in our view, forfeits her right to privacy.

Why?

Because the arrest was, by nature, a public event that cost Costa Mesa taxpayers money — due to police labor — and because Dixon left her post at last week’s council meeting just hours after her son had been arrested, raising questions in the minds of citizens about whether the domestic problem affected her ability to carry out her duties as a public servant.

That, in short, is why the Daily Pilot vigorously covered the story.

Some disagreed with our approach.

That’s understandable but, without belaboring the point, we’re sticking to our guns on this one.

And yet there’s another side to the story that doesn’t make news but deserves acknowledgment: No matter whether you’re a public or private citizen, domestic problems are always painful.

Dixon suffers no less over the troubles of her son than any other mother. In fact, her entire family, it can be fairly said, suffers in the wake of a traumatic event such as what occurred.

That’s why, while we felt a responsibility to report the news, we also hope for the best for the Dixon family — and, for that matter, for any family experiencing unrest.