Charlotte Observer

Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of stenographers.

NEW YORK McClatchy reported today that total revenue declined 1.1% to $211 million and advertising revenue slipped 0.3% to $179 million in August compared to the same period last year.
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Including print and online, retail advertising revenue was up 1.7% to $74 million. National advertising dropped 7.5% to $16 million. Classified revenue decreased 2% to $74 million on declines in automotive (down 8%) and help-wanted (down 6%). Real estate was up 9.8%.

The lines between journalism and punditry have always been fuzzy, and in North Carolina that fuzziness is a mile thick. To my knowledge.

Today’s big dogs in political news and opinion are the major dailies, with guys like Rob Christensen (News and Observer) and Jim Morrill (Charlotte Observer) out front on state political reporting. The AP has its own news hunter, Gary Robertson. And there are even some freelance watchdogs. The Lois Lane’s of North Carolina, so to speak.

The papers also have editorial pages and op-ed columnists. Editorial writers largely remain anonymous, giving the impression that their personal opinions represent management - or mismanagement, depending on the paper. And then there are pure columnists, people like Rick Martinez (N&O), Scott Mooneyham (syndicated) and Paul O'Connor (Winston-Salem Journal).

Lance has already given a brief mention to the Public Editor's column in today's News and Observer, but there's a story inside the story that may be worth your while.

First, though, kudos to Ted Vaden for actually looking into this question. I've written him about a handful of bias issues and I fully expected him to blow this one off too. So I was surprised to learn last week that he was actually looking into the story - and I appreciate his effort.

  

AP reporter Gary Robertson is one of the few professional journalists who actually understand what happened in August when Puppetmaster Pope got off scot-free after buying legislative elections in primaries last May. The Charlotte Observer picked up his story.

RALEIGH - North Carolina's latest ruling on how far so-called "527" groups can go to influence voters likely won't be the last word on efforts to restrain the influence of corporate cash on the electoral process.

The State Board of Elections last week upheld the Republican Legislative Majority of North Carolina's use of corporate money to send more than 300,000 pieces of mail criticizing five GOP House members in advance of the May primary. Two of those incumbents ultimately lost, including Speaker Pro Tempore Richard Morgan.

Why would one big newspaper in North Carolina cite the John Locke Foundation and related-PopeCo properties 12 TIMES MORE OFTEN than another big newspaper?

Actually, don't answer me. Just help me ask the question - loudly and often.

ted.vaden@newsobserver.com

Ted Vaden, the public editor of the Raleigh News and Observer, writes this week about the glorious benefits readers should expect from the new-found cooperation between the McClatchy newsrooms in Charlotte and Raleigh. According to my old friend, this cooperation will yield better stories, more complete coverage and more 'forward-looking' news.

The longtime rivals for Tar Heel newspaper dominance became kissing cousins on June 27 upon the formal acquisition of Knight-Ridder Inc., The Observer's parent, by The McClatchy Co., owner of The N&O. That purchase created a newspaper chain of 32 daily papers, second largest in the United States. But nowhere does it have a greater impact than in North Carolina, the only state where the new chain owns the two largest newspapers.

Read it and weep. One of the great newspaper organizations in the world, Knight-Ridder, announced today it will become irrelevant. Goodbye Charlotte Observer. Welcome more corporate media.

There's not much that pisses me off more than the wingnuts' cry that "criticizing the President = high treason and murdering Americans!" There's an editorial in the Observer by a State Representative (Republican-Meck) that sings this same old tune. Here's the response I sent to the Opinion Editor:

Republican State Representative Doug Vinson's opinion piece ("Stop helping our enemies") reprises a now familiar refrain of the far-right: we mustn't criticize the President or his handling of the war in Iraq or the terrorists will think that we are weak. You can be sure that when you hear this tune it is coming from someone who fundamentally misunderstands America's values.