Thompson Questions Observer’s Process

Republican Challenger Expresses Concern That Only Select Candidates Were Interviewed Prior To General Election

Charlotte, NC – Corey Thompson, Republican candidate for Mecklenburg County Commission At-Large, challenged The Charlotte Observer’s political endorsement process Friday after the Observer Editorial Board failed to interview all candidates prior to next week’s General Election. Thompson, who was interviewed by one lone member of the Editorial Staff before the May Primary, expressed concern that the Observer’s thoroughness in endorsing political candidates falls short of what should be expected from a major publication.

Said Thompson, “I was highly disappointed that I was not interviewed by the Editorial Staff in regard to their endorsements as other candidates had been.” Thompson went on to explain that he contacted Observer Editor Taylor Batten over a week before the endorsements were released, and had expressed concern that he had not heard from the Observer Editorial Staff. Batten informed Thompson that they were working hard to try to interview as many candidates as possible.

Unfortunately, Thompson was not included as some other At-Large and District candidates had been. The end result was a brief blurb about Thompson’s enthusiasm and earnestness, concluded by a jab at his conservative platform. The Observer also failed to mention Thompson’s role as a CMS teacher, which in light of the current challenges facing CMS, should have merited some attention. “In reading the endorsement piece published by the Observer for the At-Large and District candidates for County Commission, it gave the impression that it had been produced rather hastily and without the thoroughness that one would expect from a credible publication,” said Thompson. “Their efforts on this piece paralleled what I often find when a student finishes their homework on the bus on the way to school.”

Thompson concluded with, “The citizens of Mecklenburg County should expect more from a publication of the Observer’s stature. I think they’d be disappointed in knowing that the Editorial Staff is throwing together political endorsements with little regard for due process and proper journalistic decorum. If the Observer Editorial Staff can’t interview all candidates, yet is willing to put their ‘seal of approval’ on those running for office, perhaps they should question their involvement in making political endorsements in the future.”