Sometimes bloggers, journalists and even a Tyrannicide like myself will know about a story for months before it comes to light. And even when it does come to light we don't always tell everything we know. And sometimes we deliberately allow ourselves to be scooped by someone with a bigger audience because we know that someone can have a bigger impact and create a greater positive change for our community. You see, as much as our detractors would like it to be, it ain't about ego. Or personal gain.
Such was the case with this latest story about Greensboro City Councilwoman Nancy Hoffman. You see, while Greensboro City Councilman Mike Barber was hurling unsubstantiated and since proven to be false accusations at George Hartzman while deliberately destroying public records in the process, George was busy doing research on Councilwoman Nancy Hoffmann's unfulfilled loan contracts with the City of Greensboro.
Could it be that Mike Barber was trying to discredit George Hartzman before the fact? Mike Barber tried to discredit George but it was I who launched the attack on Mike, not George. Why attack George? One can only speculate but Barber's history as a wingman remains undisputed.
It only gets worse from here on out. With every story of corruption our audiences grow and as our audiences grow so does our level of trust in the community. And with an increased level of trust, citizens long jaded with a local media known to cater to big money and incumbent politicians will, more and more, come to us to tell their stories. Will we make mistakes? Sure we will. But we'll learn from those mistakes and get better at what we do.
To uses a phrase all too familiar to City Council, if you only knew what we know...
And the harder you try to clamp down, the more people start to talk.
And I'm oh so easy to reach, RecycleBill@gmail.com
