Pender County threats are assault on press

Here at the Custer County Chronicle, we subscribe to a number of other newspapers and periodicals, including some that are industry publications that keep us abreast on what is going on with our news media colleagues around the country, and even around the world.
One issue that caught our attention is going on in Pender County, N.C. No, we didn’t misspell Pennington County in the headline, and no what is happening across the country does not affect what goes on here in Custer County. But it’s a cautionary tale of when local governments try to blackmail local news outlets and prevent them from reporting to constituents what is really happening at the local level.
According to a report in Editor & Publisher, the Pender County Commission pulled its legal notices from the local newspaper, the Pender-Topsail Post & Voice, when its its publisher Andy Pettigrew wrote something the commission did not like. Legal notices are often the lifeblood of local newspapers, and governments are aware of that. For full disclosure, here in Custer that could not happen, as the Custer County Chronicle is the only legal newspaper in the county, and governments must publish their legal notices in a legal newspaper in the county in which they are located. The point remains the same, however.
According to the Editor & Publisher article, the trouble began when county leaders decided to take control of emergency services — a function long handled successfully by a nonprofit. Pettigrew stated that the process was rushed and conducted in closed-door sessions, providing no opportunity for public input. The Post and Voice began running editorials critical of the process, including a series of pointed editorial cartoons. “That seemed to just set them off,” Pettigrew recalled. “Our readers absolutely loved the cartoons. They became a vehicle for people to get engaged in politics. But the commissioners couldn’t handle it.”
In June, Pettigrew filed suit in federal court in Wilmington, backed by attorneys from the North Carolina Press Association. “We feel very confident,” he said. “We have the best media law attorneys in the state, and they told us this is a very, very strong case.”
The county struggled to find representation. “They had difficulty getting an attorney to take the case — for obvious reasons,” Pettigrew noted. “But they finally did, and now we’re waiting for their response.”
It’s a case we will be watching for its far-reaching ramifications. But what that county commission did is so problematic. Essentially, its a group of elected officials who do not want to be questioned, and want to try to bully the newspaper into submission through pulling advertising, legal notices and dollars. Weaponizing advertising dollars is nothing new in this business, but it’s never right.
The newspaper’s purpose is not to rubber stamp what government does. It is to report on what is happening, to  express a voice via an opinion page and offer other constituents the chance to do the same. If you can’t take criticism, don’t run for office. If it’s state-run media you seek, we hear North Korea is nice this time of year.