It was clear from the beginning that the City Manager’s agenda was racially motivated and that she was forcing qualified people out of their jobs so she could fill the roles with her own puppets of a different color. Yet, the City Council hired her over other more favorable individuals who did not have a checkered past. The consulting firm that conducted the search recommended that she NOT be hired. It is astounding that the City Manager was hired in the first place. Without the watchful eye of honest reporting where would RM be. The reporter and the paper are doing their job. Now is our chance thanks to The Telegram who have dared to name those who must not be named and expose what I call the shenanigans of City Government. Surely this must include the City Council who hired the City Manager in the first place. When the taillights of at least two cars head out of Rocky Mount, let us hope and pray that the damage left behind continues to be investigated. I need to subscribe again in thanksgiving for Lindell John Kay and the revelations that are being spelled out, no holds barred. Can you believe it? An investigation long overdue about things known, suspected, rumored, but usually stifled one way or another. But wait, a reporter actually investigating! Checking records, laying out a fact-based case step by step. I canceled my Telegram subscription as a point of honor. I grew up reading The Chicago Tribune and thought I was headed to college to become a journalism major. Later today many of us will be headed to City Hall to make our presence known while the Committee of the Whole meets behind closed doors. There are people worrying about how deep this investigation will go, some sorry they backed the wrong horse and those of us who are hopeful and ecstatic that at last the truth is being told. Of course, here in Rocky Mount, everyone is talking! Phone calls, e-mails, clandestine meetings, Facebook posts, conversations over lunch, dinner, or standing in the driveway. I was reminded of this experience when the Rocky Mount Telegram’s staff writer, Lindell John Kay began the expose on the City Manager and Landis Faulcon, Director of Community & Business Development - and anyone else that deserves this scrutiny. Everyone had their heads buried in the newspapers. Riding the tube later that same day not a word was spoken. I’d read enough English mysteries by then to have no doubt that the government was involved. I think it is safe to say that the Rocky Mount Telegram has made quite a mess at rush hour!Īs part of this same trip, Princess Diana was tragically killed in a car chase by the paparazzi. He said, “Don’t do that luv, it makes such a mess at rush hour.” I have never forgotten his kindness or the wonderful humor of this moment. I had started to step off the curb forgetting which direction the traffic was moving. Headed to the tube with a few wrapped books, I felt a restraining hand on my elbow. I was collecting Beverley Nichols on that jaunt and imagining that at any moment I would see Anthony Hopkins coming towards me straight from one of my favorite movies, 84 Charing Cross Road. Overall it is a good starting point for reporters fresh out of college.Having a day on my own in London, I spent part of it on Charing Cross Road in and out of the bookstores that were still open in those years. That should have been the sales staff's responsibility. On the downside, reporters had to handle obituaries on the weekend. It's good that the paper's management allowed that.the scheduling for holidays was also good. Reporters could work from home, ensuring stories would still make deadline. This was good in bad weather conditions when it wasn't safe to be on the road. On the good side, reporters were able to work remotely. That, many times, put the paper behind other outlets. The management at the time would not allow the reporters to post breaking news online. On the good side, the reporters are allowed to use their smart phones to take pictures which may or may not be used if photogs are unavailable. Chances of advancing within the company are slim because of the small staff and the nearly nonexistent turnover. The market for the Telegram makes it a good start for any journalist's career.
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