State Auditor Beth Wood doesn’t think much of the News & Observer‘s coverage of her tenure thus far in office. In a letter to the editor, she had this to say:
During my brief time in office, you have published articles unfairly critical of me personally and in my capacity as State Auditor. Could this have anything to do with the fact that your publisher serves as an adviser to the not-for-profit organization headed by the former state auditor whom I defeated in 2008?
In the audit profession, we have strict rules about independence and objectivity. I have made it a point of emphasis that all of our reports must be truthful and credible. You might consider whether you need to more fully apply these principles in your own profession.
Sorry, but when the state’s top fiscal watchdog doesn’t pay her property taxes on time, media scrutiny is a given. And it’s justified.
Furthermore, Wood is probably the only person who sees ominous ties between the newspaper and former auditor Les Merritt’s nonprofit. That’s a straw man.