Mayor says coverage of Miss Mississippi visit downplayed
By Todd Harrell | Enterprise-Journal
Posted: 10/10/07 - 01:02:45 pm CDT
Mayor Zach Patterson said he believed the Enterprise-Journal has engaged recently in biased reporting.
During another “chat with the mayor” on Tuesday, Patterson said he was particularly disappointed that the newspaper failed to cover Miss Mississippi Kimberly Morgan’s visit to McComb schools during the district’s “Lights On After School” event last month. He said school officials had worked hard to garner attention for the event and that her appearance should have made the front page.
He added that Morgan’s appearance was only mentioned in passing inside the paper.
“It’s not adequate reporting. I can’t track with that,” he said.
The newspaper ran a front-page article promoting the event headlined “Jackson mayor to visit McComb,” which included references about Morgan’s appearance on Sept. 21 in addition to three Community Calendar notices on Sept. 23, 24 and 26.
Patterson had invited Morgan and Jackson Mayor Frank Melton, who later appeared that day during a reception at the McComb Sports Park. Coverage of Melton’s appearance was included in the next day’s newspaper.
Patterson complained that the only sure-fire way to make the front page of the Enterprise-Journal was to criticize him.
“I’m just telling you as an observation,” Patterson said to a half-full audience after the board meeting.
He seemed to be referring to former city clerk Laura Burris’ letter defending herself, which was published on Monday.
He also objected that Friday’s article titled “City audit shows irregularities” used the word “alleged” when referring to the financial discrepancies. He asked how something can be alleged when accounting experts are reporting it. He said coverage did not contain the complete story and he referred to it as “spin.”
The mayor told the attendees to read what they see in the newspaper with a grain of salt.
“All I ask you is not (to) fall for the smoke screen,” he said.
Patterson said never before had any employee’s resignation appeared in the newspaper verbatim. Regardless, he said that was not the proper channel for Burris to voice her grievance. He said the city has procedures for that.
Patterson said his goal is to get the city back on solid financial footing after the city’s accounting irregularities were revealed last week. He said when all the “smoke clears” from current fiscal issues, all of those implicated will be held accountable.
Despite criticism he claimed he has experienced in the newspaper, Patterson said he won’t engage in “mudslinging business.” He said there will be some “awkward moments” along the way, but the city must move on with its business.Editor Jack Ryan responded, “Speaking for those of us who have been pushed off the mayor’s wagon, it’s amazing that he says he won’t engage in any mudslinging when he’s been doing that for the past two months. He repeatedly and publicly trashes one of the city’s officers and then is surprised that she responds in the newspaper.”
“There certainly have been and will be some awkward moments in City Hall, but most of them are the mayor’s doing. He shouldn’t complain about it.”
Residents can find information about the broadcasts of his “chats” at the mayor’s Web site: www.zachpatterson.com. The mayor is now handling the filming of city board meetings, according to Don Jackson of Keepsake Video Productions. Jackson had been doing the job for free for seven years, and he has broadcast them on Cable One.
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Sick and Saddened wrote on Oct 14, 2007 11:23 PM: