Story was a let down

Opinion

July 30, 2010

W. TERRY SMITH CNHI The Daily Southerner Fri Jul 30, 2010, 11:04 AM EDT

TARBORO — My wonderful mother-in-law Charlotte Forrest gifts Our State magazine to me each year.

Miss Jean and I enjoy it.

But Our State let me down in its August issue. As promised, there was a feature story about Tarboro, but ... well, I was disappointed.

Others have said the same thing.

The Town of Tarboro's Celebration Committee has spent $7,650 advertising in the popular publication since March. The story was expected.

The story does not mention the 250th anniversary. It focuses on the 1999 flood and afterwards.

It reports the Colonial Theater is being renovated by the Rotary Club, which is incorrect. The "old movie house" is being renovated by the Veterans Museum.

(The Rotarians generously contributed $5,500 to the rehabilitation of the marquee.)

To be honest, it does not help when I have had the pleasure of reading Bryan Haislip's story that was submitted – and sent back, rejected.

I will be interested to hear what you think after reading Haislip's offering. He is a retired newspaperman, who wrote the "This Afternoon in North Carolina" column for many years when there were 40 afternoon dailies in the state.

Seems Haislip was retained by one editor and there was a change ... .

"Our No.1 priority is a story well told," Our State Senior Editor Diane Summerfield told me. "His story didn't meet our standards.

"We were looking for a unique story and before and after the flood was the approach the writer (Vicky Eckenrode, a reporter with the Star News in Wilmington) took. We weren't concerned with the 250th milestone."

Maybe some of us are all worn out reading about the flood. None of us will ever forget it, but we have tried to go forward.

"I think you may have assumed they would be writing about the 250th anniversary," said Ed Roberson, a member of the celebration committee. "It would have been great if it had mentioned the 250th, but it was about Tarboro. It was a wonderful article on our town.

"I'm real happy to have Tarboro mentioned. It suits me fine."

Committee Chairman John Jenkins said Thursday he had not had time to read it.

Everyone else, though, did agree the article about On the Square restaurant in the same issue was outstanding. It was penned by Kristy Woodson Harvey of Kinston.

We will publish Haislip's story closer to September and the birthday party on Sept. 25. I urge the 250th committee to use it to promote the celebration and send it out on special 250th stationary (“Then, Now and Beyond”) to media outlets all over the the state.

"I was disappointed it didn't promote the town in a more positive way," said Betty Temple, also on the celebration committee. "I was very disappointed it didn't mention the celebration to put it bluntly."

So were many of us.

W. Terry Smith is editor of The Daily Southerner.

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