John Drescher, executive editor of the News & Observer, spoke with John in Carolina yesterday and denied that senior editor Linda Williams spiked a story that N&O reporters wanted to write about information that a recent Tar Heel of the Week had been arrested for assault.
I'll be interested to see what he has to say.
But I keep thinking of the irony here.
A year and a half ago, John Drescher was personally involved in the N&O's decision to spike a story involving the double life of a significant political figure.
Go back to October, 2007. If you remember, several Democrats were campaigning for the nomination of their party for president. Among them was John Edwards. At the time, Edwards was campaigning heavily in Iowa. He was on a roll in October -- even picked up the endorsement of SEIU that month. Late in the month, Edwards was in 2nd place in some polls -- behind Hillary Clinton and narrowly ahead of Barack Obama.
A few weeks earlier, the National Enquirer had published a story that Edwards was having an affair with a staffer.
That story in the Enquirer would have derailed Edwards' campaign if it landed in the mainstream media. John Edwards somehow got word that the N&O was considering running a piece on the Enquirer story.
So Edwards, eager to keep himself viable as a candidate, picked up the phone in October 2007 and called none other than John Drescher. According to Drecher's recounting, Edwards denied the affair, then asked him not to report on it due to his wife's illness.
Drescher claims the N&O had already decided not the run the story.
The N&O remained silent on the Edwards/Hunter scandal for many more months, through several primary elections. When the Enquirer reported a love child had been born to Edwards and Hunter, the story hit other mainstream outlets. Even then, the N&O had to be badgered and cajoled to report on Edwards' double life.
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9 comments:
Now that we know how the N&O operates, think of all the anti stories against Democrats they have suppressed during the election season for years. They push anti-GOP stories like they did against Liz Dole, and push for their candidate. NC used to be a beautiful, mannerly state, and it is turning into a third world, mean place. Just enter Durham if you care to see for yourself. Ponder college students breaking in windows, and shouting “We know where you live” because the speaker spoke about something they didn’t want anyone to hear. If the voters of NC don’t wakeup, NC will be just another indebted blue state, waiting for the red states to bail them out.
John Drescher is a schmuck; standard McClatchy issue. These people are like robots, not capable of original thought. Drescher is just protecting his job, hoping the Bam/Sha-Zam wings in with his “Sucker Package” to save the day for his sorry ass. Barry owes the media big-time, lest anyone forget.
Actually, the Edwards saga was a repeat of the treatment state Speaker Jim Black received in 2005-2006 from the N&O and TCO.
I called it the "head's up."
In both cases reporters and editors let an official denial about an affair spike stories -- which is a crazy way to do journalism, unless you are trying to protect the powerful.
(Black went to federal prison on corruption charges, BTW.)
In just the past few years, The N&O has sent a number of prominent politicians to prison as a result of its investigative reporting. Most of them have been Democrats. All of them have been crooks.
Drescher denied...kind of like at first, gibbs denied... that 747 thingy over Manhattan? Libs teabagging libs? Who knew?
In a few months, drescher will
make a call to edwards, who will get him a job driving the ambulance edwards is chasing.
Then linda williams, who obviously will get another affirmative action promotion when he leaves, can bury dreshers’ story and the lib, cycle continues unabated.
You write beautifully.
Did you ever think that one of MNI's unintended consequence of dumbing down its readers would be that they would quit reading?
Its clear that much of what MNI publishes isn’t fit to line a bird cage, but still I wonder how large a component their theft of education played in their own demise.
The N and O "allowed" Edwards to use the paper for keep his face in the news when he decided his wife needed a world wide press release that she had cancer.
What a slimball to use the illness of his wife. He used her often.
I doubt she knew then what she knows now...
Still awaiting .........
affirmative action employee L Williams' response.
Did she, or did she not kill
the response to Tarheel of the Week
Stephens' criminal charge?
Also waiting for Dresher's response
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