McCrory versus the Fourth Estate

by Thomas Mills, Politics NC, December 3, 2015.

Pat McCrory kicked off his re-election campaign yesterday with an attack on the News & Observer. He’s selling bumperstickers that read “I don’t believe the Raleigh News & Observer.” It looks like he will go into 2016 with two opponents, Roy Cooper, the likely Democratic nominee, and the Capitol press corps. It’s an interesting strategy.

The old saying “Don’t pick fights with people who buy ink by the barrel” no longer applies. The newspaper industry is struggling to survive and cable and internet sites allow people to get the news they want, not necessarily the news that’s accurate. In this environment, McCrory is betting that he can discredit the so-called “mainstream media.” With tens of millions of dollars in third party money behind him, he might be right, at least with the audience he needs to win the election.

McCrory’s battles with the News & Observer are nothing new, but most of his wounds are self-inflicted. He came to Raleigh after running as a moderate and then rolling over for the most conservative members of the legislature. He’s repeatedly lied to the press throughout his tenure, leaving reporters and editors skeptical of his claims.

The tipping point came when the Governor claimed in his announcement video that he had once lost his job and the paper’s online headline seemed to question his veracity. And why not? He told reporters he went to Moral Mondays when he didn’t. He told reporters he didn’t hear a donor say he wanted a contract extension as a reward for campaign donations, despite being in the room when the donor made the statement. He told the whole state, on television, that he wouldn’t sign bills that restrict abortion, but he’s done that over and over.

His other option is to ignore the News & Observer, which is just one of the papers questioning his performance. He received the endorsement of half the state’s newspapers in 2012, including the Charlotte Observer, his hometown paper and one that has been at least as critical of him than the News & Observer. He may find himself taking on the entire mainstream media before 2016 is out. Maybe that’s what he wants.

McCrory can’t make the lies he’s told truthful so now he wants to discredit the people shining a light on his shenanigans. If he’s successful, he’ll show that big money can defeat an independent press. It’s a scary proposition since the Fourth Estate has done more to keep our government open and honest than any other institution.

http://www.politicsnc.com/mccrory-versus-the-fourth-estate/