Non-mainstream media trumps local print media

By Delcenia Turner
Posted Monday, December 3, 2007

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Chatham County, NC - I want to thank and also commend Gene Galin for publishing editorial comments from the Chapel Hill News and an investigative report from the Independent concerning the recent Pittsboro municipal election. According to the statistics on the Bulletin Board, as of November 29, 2007, 901 persons viewed and read those particular news items.

As neither the CHN, nor the INDY are as accessible to Chatham residents as the local paper, many people reading the analytical and comprehensive accounts of what possibly transpired in Pittsboro, may be aware of the situation for the first time. Others, now have been afforded an opportunity to understand more about these critical election issues that have surfaced.

In the legal opinion of one Chatham lawyer, the alleged irregularities threaten “the very essence of democracy.” 1,795 citizens thus far have viewed the legal opinion also, making it a total of 2,696 readers who are now aware of pertinent facts left unreported by the local paper.

It is ironic that detailed accounts of events in mainstream Chatham are publicly reported by non-mainstream sources, at no cost.
Given the pervasive power of the media to influence public opinion, I cannot help but speculate that all of the confusion surrounding the Pittsboro municipal election might have been avoided if a locally informed electorate went to the polls on November 6th.

The Board of Elections endeavored to put all of the relevant information about the election specific to Pittsboro voting as well, in
the local newspaper, but it was relegated to the back pages of the paper instead of being placed in the main section. BOE information on One stop voting also was sandwiched between other information irrelevant to voting.

Free, fair, ingenuous elections inimitably distinguish the U.S. from other nations in the global political Diaspora. Insinuations that our democratic process has been tampered with mandates expedient investigation and in depth reporting by the media. As a citizen, I appreciate the CHN, the INDY and the Chat list for exercising a high level of journalistic integrity by placing “the public’s right to know” above all else.