North Carolina’s best-known newspaper, The News & Observer, has a surprising history and complicated legacy.
Few people understand the struggles and power of newspapers better than Rob Christensen, who spent decades at North Carolina’s capital newspaper as chief political reporter. In his latest book, he recounts how The News & Observer shaped modern North Carolina in ways both profound and eyebrow-raising.
Christensen shares the paper’s trajectory from its early days as a voice of white supremacy at the turn of the 20th century, to the 1960s when Jesse Helms, a segregationist, proclaimed the paper as “selling out the South,” to its present-day decline, similar to many other newspapers in modern times.
It’s the story of how a regional newspaper used its power and messaging to influence the politics of North Carolina and the South, with a remarkable family dynasty and four generations that helped elect governors and influence national politics.
Rob Christensen shares insights from his book 'Southern News, Southern Politics: How a Newspaper Defined a State for a Century.' We also ask Christensen about the future of covering politics and the ever-changing media landscape.
GUEST:
Rob Christensen, former political columnist for The News & Observer in Raleigh and author of 'Southern News, Southern Politics: How a Newspaper Defined a State for a Century'
