A Setback for Serious Reporting

Journalism is having a tough enough time as it is without the kick in the gut the profession sustained when UNC-TV management rolled over and complied with a subpoena issued by a state Senate judiciary panel. The move potentially killed serious journalism for North Carolina public television and public radio. UNC-TV General Manager Tom Howe had two choices. He could have guarded the integrity of his news operation by claiming protection under North Carolina's shield law and refusing to turn over unaired material on Alcoa's Yadkin River Dam. Instead, Howe agreed with the characterization that, as a state agency (the network's license is held by the UNC Board of Governors), UNC-TV's reporters have no more claim to First Amendment protections than do the public information specialists who tout the State Fair.