Jesse

I started this blog in early March, but wanted to reach back into January 2005 for a great example of the problems with the N&O "news" reporting. On the 31st of that month the paper ran an article mocking Jessie Helms. The news article - not an editorial - examined a Helms letter to supporters claiming that Bill Clinton might become U.N. Secretary. The writer accused Helms of "warning about the dangers of an array of bogeymen" (suggesting that the adversaries Helms writes of are imaginary) and the article concludes by asking "Does this mean that Helms would prefer Kofi Annan to stay on the job?"

Now I can forgive some Helms-hating young writer for injecting editorial content into what is supposed to be a news article. He may be bucking for an editorial position himself some day. But where are the adults who are supposed to edit the paper? Ironically, just one day before this article was published, the new Public Editor had written a rambling and tortured piece denying bias in news reporting (though acknowledging the leftward editorial slant).