More on the mayor
Both Ed Cone and Jeff Thigpen weigh in on Mayor Holliday's remarks at the State of the Community luncheon Tuesday. Both make great points. The mayor's complaints about the news media didn't surprise me. He's told me his concerns on various occasions, we've published his thoughts on the issue, and I have written a column about his negativity toward the press.
It may be naive of me, but I believe the operations of government should be transparent. The news media -- in this case, more precisely, the print media -- have a distinct role to play in the oversight of public agencies. So, it's hardly unusual for a politician to dislike the press for attempting to tell readers the news, particularly if that news is "bad." In that vein, the mayor has cause to complain. He hasn't liked our coverage of hockey or of Project Homestead. A year ago, he complained in the State of the Community luncheon about the media's coverage of the new downtown baseball stadium.
The fact is, it is possible to welcome scrutiny and channel it into making the city a better, smarter, more interesting place. It's possible to take an honest look -- not optimistic OR pessimistic -- and use it to improve the world.
My advice to the mayor is to read "Good to Great" by Jim Collins. He describes The Stockdale Paradox, which is the ability to confront the brutal facts, make smart decisions and be optimistic, all at the same time.
Comments (8)
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You tell him, John. It's about time all our politicians learned the value of an open and honest media. If not for the media who else could point them in the right direction?
Posted on September 2, 2004 9:01 PM
Why was the story about two people shot dead tail-gaiting at the NC State football game buried on page 5 of the local section?
Just interested in the editorial decision making process.
Posted on September 5, 2004 12:50 PM
Why was the story about two people shot dead tail-gaiting at the NC State football game buried on page 5 of the local section?
Just interested in the editorial decision making process.
Posted on September 5, 2004 12:50 PM
"If not for the media who else could point them in the right direction?"
Um, gee, I don't know, call me naive, but, uh, maybe their constituents?
Posted on September 5, 2004 7:37 PM
I cannot believe that the Mayor of this city, in all honesty, could possibly have a gripe with the overwhelmingly favorable press he and the Council get from this newspaper. Unbelievably disingenuous.
It's remindful of John Kerry griping about the Swift Boat Vets when he himself is the beneficiary of favorable 527's outspending unsympathetic ones by a 40-1 count. But, I guess liberal politicians do tend to think alike.
Posted on September 6, 2004 1:14 PM
I cannot believe that the Mayor of this city, in all honesty, could possibly have a gripe with the overwhelmingly favorable press he and the Council get from this newspaper. Unbelievably disingenuous.
It's remindful of John Kerry griping about the Swift Boat Vets when he himself is the beneficiary of favorable 527's outspending unsympathetic ones by a 40-1 count. But, I guess liberal politicians do tend to think alike.
Posted on September 6, 2004 1:15 PM
These are the kinds of editorial judgments on which reasonable people can disagree. This one could have gone either way, in my mind. A crime story in Raleigh wouldn't necessarily merit prominent play in the paper. It happened 80 miles or so from here, has no impact on people around here and was all over television. The power of the story is that it involved a sensational crime, and we don't do much with sensational crimes outside our area.
Posted on September 7, 2004 3:16 PM
Our Mayor talks - does anybody really listen to him? Guy is like Bostwick in Spin City.
Posted on September 7, 2004 9:12 PM