Many will look at what I write and that will be the end of it. Occasionally something gets picked up and they write their own story. Such was the case with stories about GPAC and Mayor Robbie Perkins. Regretfully none of them consulted me first before the lies about the Greensboro Riots were spread around the world.
Recently I had an off the record conversation with one of these reporters, someone who isn't local but has covered Greensboro and many other cities and states. The following is from that conversation:
"well it's an election year and it will be interesting to see if anything changes
having covered politics at the local and state level, your leaders are among the slowest
to act
i'm generally unimpressed in my dealings with just about all of them. they're not creative, visionary and most seem totally self-involved
it's a shame
and that's off the record"
That, is how the rest of the world sees Greensboro. As hard as these great journalists try to remain neutral in their reporting it's almost impossible to keep at least a tiny bit of their opinions from slipping into the page. Even the world's best journalists sometimes slip up and add a tiny bit of opinion. Over time those tiny bits of opinion color the world's view of our home and who we are.
Only when our leaders are willing to act with creativity, vision and courage instead of reacting in fear will things ever change for the better. Is there one among our current crop who can show us these traits? For if there is I have yet to see him or her awaken.
