The news value of any piece of political journalism must be judged on how it informs the community and whether it gives citizens information on which to make decisions.

The N&O recently published a breathless page one expose revealing that State Highway Patrol Commander Randy Glover had an extramarital affair 22 years ago. The young trooper was given another assignment in the wake of the the affair. The strong implication of the story is that Glover should be disqualified from serving as commander of the scandal-plagued patrol. The N&O also criticized Gov. Beverly Perdue for not disclosing Glover’s affair.

Does the N&O story meet the basic test for political journalism?

Absolutely not, says Governor Perdue, who strongly backs Glover. Further, she is highly critical of the N&O’s journalistic judgment in publishing the story, as reported by the Charlotte Observer:

She noted that the affair happened “nearly 25 years ago” and that Glover was serving as a lieutenant colonel at the time she appointed him.

“That’s pretty close to the top, and so regardless of the articles you continue to write, this is a man who is lieutenant (colonel) of the Highway Patrol, he had an affair nearly 25 years ago, he’s married with two beautiful little daughters, and I really, really am disappointed in this kind of journalism,” Perdue said. “And did I disclose it? I will have to be very honest with you, I never once in any interview for any position ask anyone about their sexual preference, their sexual orientation, or their past marital history.

“I didn’t figure it had a thing to do with the job they could do for the people of North Carolina.”

That response is something rather rare these days in politics: Here is Governor Perdue, a public official with the courage to defend an action and call out a newspaper for a serious lapse in news judgment.

While news judgment often boils down to the whim of an editor, it is difficult to defend the placement and tone of the N&O’s original story and its dogged attempts to keep the story alive by insinuating Perdue did something wrong in not disclosing the officer’s long-ago affair.

Even in this sex-obsessed world, it is difficult to make the case that a simple affair, conducted a quarter century ago, should disqualify anyone from a job.

If extramarital affairs are a new standard of disqualification, businesses, state government and even the N&O newsroom, it is presumed, will empty out in a hurry. Posted by Leroy Towns

This entry was posted on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 9:59 am and is filed under Ethics, Government, Media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.