The power of the press
The relationship between politicians and the press is inherently contentious. There are a variety of reasons for this having to do with image, control, interpretation and the unflinching power of the written word in black and white.
Good politicians learn how to manage the media. (Find them on the cable talk shows every night.) Others simply ignore the press. ("I don't care what you say as long as you spell my name right.") And then there is a third course.
Greensboro City Council member Robbie Perkins called the News & Record the "single-greatest deterrent" to local economic development yesterday. In an interview with reporter Nate DeGraff, he said that he couldn't even get past our headline on the latest Dell story.
"Forsyth's pitch for Dell heftier" is what it said.
The facts: Forsyth and Winston-Salem are offering about $28 million; Guilford and Greensboro, $12.4 million.
Perkins said the headline shouldn't have been published in the "home-team newspaper." And, while he was at it, he said the paper hasn't been supportive of Guilford's efforts to land the plant (see our coverage).
"The single greatest deterrent"? The "home-team newspaper"?
Well, local economic development is what it is, and newspapers aren't cheerleaders. Robbie's been around long enough to know that. But we are a big, easy target, particularly at City Hall.
Comments (7)
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John,
I don't think they go far enough in blaming you for society's ills. Personally, I think the N & R is to blame for the the price of gas, the fact that the milk I bought went bad 2 days too early, mad cow disease, and basically all the ills our society suffers from at present.
That's just me, however.
Posted on December 1, 2004 12:48 PM
If Perkins doesn't like the N-R coverage, he should start his own Greensboro newspaper. Everyone else is.
Posted on December 1, 2004 3:41 PM
News & Record the single greatest deterrent to local economic development-------maybe 'ol Robbie needs to back up and look at the decisions he and the City Council have been making before he makes that accusation
Posted on December 1, 2004 4:50 PM
It looks as if our Councilman Perkins needs a few lessions. If he thinks the N and R is tough on him, just wait until the blogs start in on him. He'll end up wishing he didn't know how to talk, much less speak out in public.
As the late great, Jerry Clower once said, "Knock him out, John!"
Posted on December 1, 2004 7:59 PM
What are you talking about? The media IS politics. There's four branches to our government: executive, legislative, judicial, and media.
Posted on December 1, 2004 10:24 PM
Perhaps Robbie figured Dell wouldn't be able to do the math and he is upset because the N&R revealed the complicated answer to the equation.
Geez.
Posted on December 2, 2004 6:41 AM
I think what the Greensboro City Council needs to learn is how to properly manage growth. While I think Dell and Fedex are great companies to land, the City Council has no idea how to manage development. I think that the Council has proven itself subservient to any developer that wants to pave a piece of land without any thought of how it affects quality of life. One has only to drive down Wendover or Battleground Avenues or down High Point Road to see how poorly planned and poorly managed growth has strangled traffic at the very least.
A bit off topic. Sorry. I think that any time the media becomes a mouthpiece for government, we're in trouble.
Posted on December 2, 2004 3:24 PM