On Tuesday, Leigh Tauss published a story about how Raleigh City Council member David Cox had tried to alter a sewer project and then, when the city’s public utilities director determined that Cox’s request wasn’t feasible, asked the city attorney to investigate and possibly discipline the director. (See more here.) 

Council member Stef Mendell, a Cox ally, weighs in with a lecture on journalism ethics: “I have always been a supporter of journalism and a free press,” she begins. “In recent years, the ability of a number of media outlets to present objective and balanced reporting has been seriously compromised. It’s sad to see that happening now in our community. While it’s appropriate for a media outlet to have a point of view that they express in their editorial opinion pieces, it is not appropriate for that point of view to influence coverage of news pieces. Increasingly, INDY Week has breached the wall between objective news reporting and opinion with their coverage of local government issues.

“What’s equally disturbing is their failure to acknowledge relationships that have the potential to influence not only their investigative reporting and news stories, but also their editorial coverage. I believe that every time INDY Week writes about local politics, they should openly disclose any business or personal relationships between family members of their owners/reporters and family members of local elected officials. To do otherwise is an ethical failure.”

To which INDY editor Jeffrey C. Billman replied: “We don’t shy away from having a point of view—we stress transparency and fairness in our reporting, not objectivity—but, to my mind, there’s nothing in that story that constitutes an opinion. It seems to me you’re upset that it’s not the story you wanted to have told. 

“And I’m not entirely sure what you’re on about in terms of conflicts of interest. Leigh Tauss has no family relationships in North Carolina, so I assume you’re referring to our company’s owner, Richard Meeker, whose brother used to be Raleigh’s mayor. We’ve never hidden that, and disclose it in every story in which it could remotely be relevant. For the record, Richard is never consulted on stories or editorial decisions. (He wasn’t consulted, for example, when we endorsed you in 2017.) So what exactly are you implying by alleging an ‘ethical failure’?” 

(In a subsequent Facebook post, Mendell said she was referring to David Meeker, Richard Meeker’s nephew and an owner of Trophy Brewing. One of David Meeker’s business partners is married to Nicole Stewart, a council member.)

“Freedom of the press has been under assault since Trump took office, and now that assault has made it normal behavior to watch our local elected officials shred investigative journalism whenever it suits their agenda,” writes Publius. “Shame on all enemies of the free press! That means shame on you, Stef Mendell, as well as all the other Trump-lite haters who seek to squelch the voice of a reporter and newspaper to suit your political agendas.”

S Bell argues that Cox was just doing his job: “Personally, I’m glad to see a city council member advocating for his constituents. That’s, like, their job, right? David Cox has been an excellent champion, both compassionate and responsive, for our district.”

“Sure,” Kevin replies, “council members are supposed to advocate for their constituents. But they should also listen to qualified and professional city employees. Cox can still be a good champion for the district while understanding that, sometimes, he and his constituents won’t get it exactly their way. I’m really glad to see a city employee advocating for cost-effective and environmentally friendly practices. We shouldn’t tear up plans that have been in the works for two years because one person complained. Hopefully, the city manager can act as more of an intermediary between the city council and city employees. We could soon find ourselves losing some highly regarded and smart employees because of the actions of uninformed, shortsighted, and overly emotional politicians.”

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