Pro Free Press Commentary Rejected By Citizen-Times

I've questioned the Asheville Citizen-Times' commitment to objectivity in its coverage of the Eastern Band political scene. So far, they've done nothing to convince me that they are indeed committed, among other things, "holding those with power accountable." Here's the piece the paper rejected:

Tribal Free Press? Not Under This Leadership

In the recent tribal atmosphere of mudslinging, this chief’s election, it’s all too easy to lose focus on what’s important. What should matter more than anything to tribal members is the ability to hold their elected representatives on Tribal Council and the chief and vice chief’s offices accountable.
They need a watchdog, and with a free press there is such a watchdog. There is no free press in Cherokee.
Yes, there is a free press law. Yes, there is an open meetings law. Yes, there is a public information law. However, those laws aren’t worth the paper on which they’re printed if there’s no enforcement.
Under our current tribal leadership, there not only is no enforcement, but there have been circumventions, blatant violations, and there were no consequences.
Take a look a the One Feather and what it’s turned into since Principal Chief Michell Hicks directly took a meddling role in its editorial process:
* There is no editorial.
* Rarely, if ever, are there published critiques of the chief or Tribal Council.
* There is nothing to encourage a free exchange of ideas.
* The free press act was watered down to remove independent and professional oversight of the paper through an editorial board.
* An award-winning reporter and writer has been reduced to writing propaganda designed to puff up a tribal deputy with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.
* And as evident in the July 21 edition, the chief can use this publication to denigrate an entire family who did nothing more than to have the chief’s challenger as one of their own.
The changes in the publication have not resulted in the community having a better paper. It has lost circulation. It has lost credibility. It has lost respect, and a look at the paper itself will show that advertisers have noticed.
We need elected officials who support a free press and will back up that support with strong legislation to ensure it. We need elected officials who will resist and oppose pressure to censor or shut out the media, whether tribally owned or otherwise. And we need elected officials who realize that the One Feather belongs to 14,000 + people, not 14.
Any candidate who doesn’t support a free press, open government and transparency does not care about your best interests.

Shameful, Just Shameful

I was absolutely floored when I heard of Elizabeth Poscich's situation. I know the issue of descendents and property has been a controversial one since they were first given inheritance recognition in 1986. However, what concerns me is the fact that Tribal Council can invalidate a will for whatever they determine to be a loophole, and that's something that should concern Cherokees from full bloods down to first generation descendents. All but two council members, Terri Henry of Painttown and Teresa McCoy of Big Cove voted to pass it. Diamond Brown, the Cherokee County/Snowbird rep. has now said he'll lead the charge to advocate support of the protest filed last week. Diamond has admitted making a mistake voting to pass it, and the truth is he, like the other council members, was duped. He wasn't provided all of the information, and he was misled and manipulated, as well as lied to.
Well that's three council members who I know will back it. I hope more of them have enough of a conscience to get behind it as well. Most Cherokee County residents want a casino here but not like this.
One thing I have to point out is how callous this whole thing was. First of all, Poscich's husband died not too long ago. Tribal Council passed this days after she buried her husband. She hasn't even had time to grieve. Michell Hicks signed it before the 10-day protest period was over. And just to point out one more example of how ultimately callous the Michell Hicks camp is, here's a direct quote from the Committee to Re Elect Michell Hicks Facebook page (grammatical errors included):
"This story leads me to ask: Are we supposed to give Cherokee land away? Their blood degree ran out..What is the issue? and we should compensate them? Tribal Council did the right thing..Yes, If your descendents did not meet the blood degree requirements, it could and should happen to you. Anyone of us, as Cherokee's, know this."
First of all the soon-to-be evicted descendents are the late Lee Craig's people. Lee Craig has done so much for this tribe and the Cherokee Community, probably a whole lot more than these whiners on facebook. And Elizabeth, through her work as a pharmacist, and her husband, known for his generous nature, have given far more to the Cherokee people in Cherokee County than those who'd scoff at the fact they don't meet the tribe's blood quantum. As far as I'm concerned, they are Cherokee, and they don't deserve this.
I'd also like to point out to those non resident voters who may have received communications asking you to keep Michell Hicks in office will allow them to keep their land, well this is who Angie Kephart has told you to vote for, and he's the one who actually took someone's land. Ironic isn't it.
Furthermore let's put this in historical perspective for comparison. A leader of a nation forces the rightful occupants of an area of land to leave without compensating them. Who does that sound like? Kennedy? Nope. Roosevelt? Try again. Here's a hint, pull a $20 bill out of your wallet. Actually this could be worse since the people who survived Andrew Jackson's Manifest Destiny got land in Oklahoma. These people are getting nothing.

They Can Cover This But Not the Primary

I've said that the Asheville Citizen-Times was more than capable of covering the primary results from last week, which still have not been published in the region's only regional daily newspaper. If they can cover this event, they could've had the primary results published.

It Looks Like the Citizen-Times Isn't Doing a Primary Story

It looks like the Asheville Citizen-Times isn't doing a story on the results of the tribal primary where incumbent Michell Hicks, came in second to Patrick Lambert. In fact of those who voted for someone other than Michell Hicks, number 2,044 to Michell Hicks' 1,378. It's safe to say that Michell is in danger of losing. Being that he's the leader of the largest employer in western North Carolina, why the Citizen-Times doesn't find that newsworthy is a mystery. I will say this, I'm terribly disappointed in the Citizen-Times, and they are capable of much better than this.

Day Four Citizen-Times, Where's Your Primary Story?

It's been four days since Patrick Lambert took first place in the tribal principal chief's primary, 220 votes more than incumbent Michell Hicks. There's still no story in the Asheville Citizen-Times. Here's a story the paper evidently deemed to be more newsworthy. Man charged with scooter theft.

Day Three, Where's the Primary Story Citizen-Times?

Just had to note, three days since Patrick Lambert was the top vote getter in the tribe's primary election, and not a single word reported by the Citizen-Times. I should also note that two years ago when half the Tribal Council was replaced in an election, the paper had no coverage of it either.

More Fluff Conveniently Published Near Election Time

The Citizen-Times published this little gem as the primary elections for principal chief occur this coming Thursday. The article cites a UNC study that states that "Cherokee Casino raises incomes." There's the "duh!" factor. That in and of itself isn't what's so irritating about this article.
I will highlight what is so irritating:
* It's misleading. It makes it appear like Cherokee is somehow bucking economic trends while the rest of the area is struggling. That's not true. The casino itself hasn't exactly been on a hiring frenzy, and the consistent decline in per capita payments since 2007 is a clear indicator that all is not well there. Yes incomes have risen in the past 10 years, but the last four years will tell a different story.
* Michell Hicks, while he doesn't deserve blame for the decline in casino revenue, he certainly doesn't deserve credit for its success. Yet the article quotes him, and only him. There are four other candidates for his position and not a word from any of them is in the article. The result is a happy little puff piece published right at a time when non residents, who tend to be largely uninformed about tribal government, are likely to be in town, coincidentally right before election time.
* The tribe and casino revenue-funded Cherokee Preservation Foundation paid for this study along with Harrah's and AdvantageWest, a regional tourism promoter. That's right, tribal money was used to "study" this assertion that we all already knew to be true. That's like paying for a study to conclude that the sky is blue. It's another waste of tribal money, something for which the Hicks administration has become notorious.
Of course my greatest irritation is the Citizen-Times is capable of much better than this. Among the paper's ethical standards is that they'll be a voice for the voiceless. Right now the people of Cherokee have no voice. While it's understandable that some of them are fine with that, the people of Cherokee deserve better out of the "Voice of the Mountains."