Proponents of a government rescue of newspapers might want to reconsider their arguments in light of the thuggish tactics of Fletcher Hartsell against UNC-TV. One item that stood out for me was why the state public television caved. As the Wilmington Star-News explained (with my emphasis),
UNC-TV lawyers decided not to fight the subpoena because it is a public agency and may not fall under North Carolina’s 1999 press shield law protecting reporters from revealing information that hasn’t been printed or broadcast.
Got that? UNC-TV is not an independent news organization. It is a public agency. I have great respect for the reporters and producers at UNC-TV, but as Rick Martinez wrote, “Granted, the near-term ramifications of Howe’s decision for UNC-TV will probably be negligible. The network has produced scant hard-hitting journalism lately. That’s not a criticism, just an observation. Howe is given wide latitude to execute UNC-TV’s public obligations.”
