Just had a very weird, not-so-nice conversation with News & Record state capitol reporter Mark Binker.I'm working on a story on delayed state tax refunds and searching for a simple phone contact for a public information officer at Your State Department of Revenue is like extreme dental surgery.
So I placed a friendly (or so I thought) call to Binker's office. The exchange that ensued was rather eyebrow-raising:
Me: Hi Mark, Erik Huey from Greensboro, how are you?
Binker: fine.
Me: Listen, I was wondering...I'm working on a story on delayed state income tax refunds and was wondering if you had a telephone contact for any PIO at the Department of Revenue.
Binker: You're a reporter, you find out.
Me: I have a number, but...
Binker: Erik, I hope this doesn't come out the wrong way, but you're a competitor and I have no interest in helping you. It's a non-issue. I made some calls on that not long ago, but frankly, there was no story. You have not had nice things to say about our publication lately so therefore, I will not be helping you.
Me: I'm a blogger, I don't see where the competition lies.
Binker: As I said, I won't be helping you.
Me: Okay, good-day.
This odd conversation leads to a valid question...is the local blogging community starting to get under the skin at the N&R?
E.C. :)
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7 comments:
Mark's attitude towards you is indicative of the larger problem at the News and Record. They don't get it. The Rhino is a bigger threat and a much more serious competitor to the N&R than you (no offense). But I think you have a point, the N&R has work to do or they will end up like the Rocky Mountain News. It is clear that the alternative press is doing the mainstream media's job and they should be threatened.
Who is he to decide what's a good state story or not? Is he the JR of Raleigh? If NC is withholding refunds like Kansas and California is, that's a story. And if a daily newspaper willingly wants to pass it up in favor of a blogger writing about it, then more power to that blogger. Last I checked, the compilation of state stories in the news and record consisted of nothing more than the lousy wire stuff from the AP.
I recently got treated like a dirty dishrag by Yes! Weekly. Try and take it as a compliment.
Limbaugh was write. Print media is the only business that believes the customer is always wrong.
They never believe criticism is warranted.
Right- not write.
Fec, Spag...I'm not discouraged.
Listen fellas, despite Mark's comments, I don't want the N&R to fail, I don't want the HPE to fail, I don't want the W-S Journal to fail...but these pubs will fail on their own if they don't get back to their core mission, which is reporting the news fairly, objectively and locally.
But I have a suspicion about something...Mark and I had an unusual crossing back in late 2000 or early 2001, when he was covering High Point city for the N&R and I was covering the city beat for the Enterprise. A meeting just concluded, I can't remember if it was a City Council briefing or a Housing Authority meeting, it was one or the other. Anyway, we were getting our questions answered for our respective morning stories and after it concluded, Mark wanted to have words with me. He objected to the methodology I was using to ask questions--apparently, he felt I was getting in "his space" while asking questions. I said 'I don't know what you're talking about.' He said it again, and proceeded to escalate the issue, right there, in front of the building. Well both of us chose to escalate the issue like boys on a playground, then I saw how silly it was getting. I decided to take the high road and I said, 'if you have a problem with me or how I choose to get my story, then you have your editor call my editor.'
We both walked away.
I have a funny feeling he still has hard feelings about that day almost 10 years later. Talk about not burying the hatchet.
That's one way to look at it. Here's another: If someone called you, Erik, and said they wanted you to help them book a flight on Southwest, would you do it? Of course not. Yet you expect just that from Mark. I'm a retired copy desk editor. Nothing pissed me off more than lazy reporters yelling out, "What's the style on ....?"
Our standard response: Look it up.
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