Bad enough the Winston-Salem City Council decides to get back in the shopping center business—it’s been a real pain in the butt here in Gboro —but the bigger story is buried at the bottom of the Winston-Salem Journal’s write-up:
In other action, the council approved an economic development loan of $100,000 to the Winston-Salem Chronicle, a community newspaper that focuses on the black community in Forsyth County.
The money will be used to hire sales employees.
Criticizing the decision was Carissa Joines, the managing editor of the online newspaper, Camel City Dispatch, who said that it was ethically problematic for the city to give such a loan to one media outlet.
Earlier, Chad Nance, the editor-in-chief of the online paper, had sent council members a letter in which he said he was not demanding that the loan be refused, but that public discussion was needed “considering the unique nature of the government and the media.”
Several council members said that they too had concerns about a government loan to a media outlet, but said the Chronicle as a small business appeared to qualify for the loan.
By the way the vote was unanimous. Council member Robert Clark –supposedly the council’s lone conservative, said he was “somewhat surprised that the press does not have ethical standards to not borrow the money.”
Pretty incredible statement considering the fact it’s well-known in W-S that Chronicle publisher Ernie Pitt’s ethics are at the very least questionable.
The Camel City Dispatch writes:
Why would members of the City Council vote for something that they do not readily agree with? Several members told CCD on background that they were put in an impossible situation. If they voted against the bailout they risked having The Chronicle attack them in print. However, now that they have voted for the bailout, they are in the unenviable position of having to pull the plug on the Chronicle should the company fold or the loan go bad.
And I was starting to think there was hope for Winston-Salem.
