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At last week’s Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools back-to-school news briefing (watch it here), WBT radio’s Brett Jensen had a question for Superintendent Crystal Hill related to something that had happened the previous week.
Jensen noted that Hill held an embargoed briefing on her student assignment recommendations the day before she presented them to the school board. His concern was that only four broadcast outlets were included, while he and The Charlotte Observer were excluded.
“When you’re trying to get out the information that you’re trying to get out, do you think it’s wise to exclude certain media outlets when you hand pick either cooperative or friendly media outlets?” Jensen asked.
I knew exactly what he was talking about, because I was one of the invited reporters, along with WBTV’s Dedrick Russell, WSOC-TV’s Jonathan Lowe and QD News’ Julian Sadur. Hill had opened by explaining that “there’s a specific reason why all media outlets are not invited, because I believe that I can trust you all to share accurate information. Not necessarily what we want you to say, but at least the information we know is going to be fact-based.”
A bit of background: It’s a common practice for public bodies and private think tanks to offer reporters early access to complex data if they agree to an embargo — that is, not running coverage until a specified public release time. Such agreements never come with stipulations on how to report on the data. If anything, they allow more independent analysis before a reporter feels deadline pressure to get something online or on air. And it reduces the chance that the audience will get bad or incomplete information.
There’s no obligation for anyone to provide early access. And when I asked the CMS communications staff this spring if they’d do the traditional embargoed budget briefing, the answer was a terse “no.” After her presentation to the school board, Hill seemed hurt that I and others reported on confusion and inconsistencies in the report. As a relatively new superintendent, she had apparently thought we’d either report what her staff said without cross-checking documents or wait several days for an explanation.
Hill learned from that. At her budget follow-up, Russell and I explained the tradition of embargoed briefings — including the fact that it gives CMS officials a chance to hear what kind of questions may arise and try to clarify their presentation before taking it public.
Where it gets thorny is deciding who gets access. Officials may offer exclusives to an outlet they believe will give the best play to a story or reach the biggest audience. And yes, some officials will use access like a doggie treat, hoping to train reporters to be more friendly. I’m not sure how often it works, but it’s a temptation.
Over the course of my career at The Observer and WFAE, I’ve been given exclusive or limited access to embargoed information on many occasions. I’ve participated in briefings that are open to all. And I’ve been the one shut out.
I’m not sure what Hill’s strategy was. Jensen said at the news conference that The Observer had been excluded because Hill was upset about a previous article. She told Jensen his characterization of the selection process was inaccurate and declined to discuss specifics.
“I made the decision to invite trusted media partners who have in the past reported what I would say is accurate information,” she said. “The people that were selected have said things that in my opinion would be negative.”
Honestly, I wasn’t surprised that Jensen wasn’t invited to a session — if nothing else, because he’s not a full-time education reporter. And, by his own account, he’d been doing very little CMS coverage during a stretch when education news was slow and politics were huge.
The Observer’s education reporter, Rebecca Noel, was at the CMS back-to-school briefing but didn’t weigh in on Jensen’s question. I can’t speak to any behind-the-scenes drama going on between the newspaper and the district. But the idea that The Observer isn’t a trusted and reliable source of education coverage is, frankly, bizarre.
In my first interview with Hill after she became superintendent, she told me how she’d watch the intensive coverage of CMS from her vantage point as a Cabarrus County Schools administrator and wonder how she’d handle it.
Now she’s getting her chance. And I suspect she’s learning it’s harder than it looks.
