Yesterday’s Chapel Hill Herald contains the October installment of the monthly advertising supplement called “Business Today.” Content is provided by the Chapel Hill/Carrboro Chamber of Commerce. The cover proclaims “Vote Yes on Amendment One,” while the tease tells readers: “INSIDE: NC Secretary of Commerce Jim Fain explains benefits of self-financed bonds.” No surprise here that the pro A-1 effort continues to try and hide what the amendment is really about: tax increment financing.
But it was the page 2 note from the section’s editor, Laura Zavelson, that had me rolling. Here’s part of what she tells her readers:
“And while this entire section is entirely pro Amendment One, I encourage you to go online – perhaps to your local news site – and see what opponents have to say too. Then decide for yourself. You owe it to yourself and your community to make an informed decision not only on this issue, but also on every line item on the ballot. Make sure you understand your choices on Election Day and above all, make sure your voice is heard.”
Great advice, but evidently Ms. Zavelson doesn’t know, or chose not to tell her readers, that the main pro-Amendment One advocacy group, North Carolinians for Jobs and Progress, registered seven web site addresses that are clearly ANTI-Amendment One names. Visitors to these sites are greeted with a PRO-Amendment One message. That’s hardly an effort to encourage an informed vote.
