Winter 1996
North Carolina: An Uprecedented Partnership
By Rick Thames
Charlotte Observer
Public Editor
The partnership, called “Your Voice, Your Vote,” will first sponsor a statewide issues poll to identify the public’s major concerns. Those findings will guide the group on coverage of the most important issues in the races for governor and U.S. Senate, starting in February. In most cases, a commercial TV station also is working with the partnership’s newspaper in its area to provide additional issues coverage locally. The Charlotte Observer, for example, is cooperating with WBTV (Charlotte), and The News and Observer is working with WTVD (Durham).
North Carolina’s citizens are about to get a bigger voice in the media’s coverage of elections across the state.
The state’s largest newspapers – The Charlotte Observer and News & Observer of Raleigh – are among more than a dozen newspapers and broadcast stations cooperating this year in an unprecedented effort in North Carolina to focus on issues that matter most to voters.
The media organizations will also jointly interview the candidates about the issues and sponsor televised candidate forums centered on voters’ concerns.
“This builds on the citizen-oriented coverage that The Observer worked to produce for our readers in the 1992 national elections – and other elections since,” said Observer Editor Jennie Buckner. “We’re pleased that so many media organizations in this state are serious about focusing on the issues of most concern to North Carolinians. We’ll make sure we explore where the candidates stand on those issues.”
The six newspapers, five commercial TV stations, UNC-TV (public television) and several public radio stations will continue to pursue other political stories separately, including candidate profiles, additional interviews and campaign developments.
The Poynter Institute for Media Studies of St. Petersburg, Fla., is advising the partnership. The Pew Center for Civic Journalism is providing funding in support of UNC-TV’s efforts.
Other members of the “Your Voice, Your Vote” partnership are:
Newspapers: The Asheville Citizen-Times; the News & Record of Greensboro; the Fayetteville Observer-Times; and the Morning Star of Wilmington.
Television stations: WGHP, High Point; WLOS, Asheville; WWAY, Wilmington.
Public radio stations: WFAE-FM, Charlotte; WFDD, Winston-Salem; WTEB-FM, New Bern; and WUNC-FM, Chapel Hill.