Comments on: Chancellor Search makes headline news…before it’s really news?

By: Say it ain’t so, Joe! | Write -30-

Say it ain’t so, Joe! | Write -30- — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:27:41 +0000

[...] we get blog posts like this, from Joe Hice, chief communication officer for N.C. State: This morning, it was the lead [...]

By: Jason Austin

Jason Austin — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:32:58 +0000

Is the challenging aspect that the N&O reported something that wasn’t accurate (or was too soon)?

Is it that the story moved so fast via “new media” that it was hard to get in front of it?

Is the challenge educating University communicators about what is and is not proper to relay via official channels?

I think the University actually handled this one pretty well. I looked through the official University twitter feeds (http://twitter.ncsu.edu) and only found one tweet about it from WKNC. I didn’t get any NCSU emails or see any official blogs that were touting the story. I feel like the communicators did a pretty good job of /not/ reporting anything that wasn’t confirmed by the University, but I am not privy to all of their communications.

The real communication challenge for NC State is the leaking of information about the chancellor search before it had been confirmed, if there was the mandate to keep that info in house. Of course, executing a search of that high caliber in secret seems to be next to impossible, it still doesn’t give people who have privileged information the right to share it with anyone who asks.

I would like to hear more of what specifically was challenging with this particular incident.

By: Joe Hice

Joe Hice — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:16:19 +0000

I don’t have an issue with the N&O and have to admit I look forward to reading the paper every morning…whether we’re in it or not. But I do hate anonymous sources, even four of them.

By: Joe Hice

Joe Hice — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:06:52 +0000

Rob: I didn’t mean to imply that the N&O hadn’t done their job or had done something wrong. They have four sources (thought I have never liked the anonymous types) and I think they were just doing their job. I was trying to point out the challenges we have on our side.

By: Craig McDuffie

Craig McDuffie — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 18:17:38 +0000

News organizations fight this battle, too. What is news vs. gossip? What is fact vs. opinion, hearsay, etc? I thought it was very interesting that last night WTVD 11 News quoted the N&O, naming Woodson, while WRAL TV 5, which has a working relationship with the N&O, also covered the story, but didn’t mention him.

As connecting with other people becomes easier and easier, there seems to be a quickly eroding line between communication and pontification, as people simply vie for attention. Integrity can’t be compromised if reliability is to remain. Thank you for holding the line!

By: Rob

Rob — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:42:37 +0000

Absolutely, Joe, the N&O story is very newsworthy indeed. It has a close proximity and new information to present to the N&O reader base; I think it’s safe to say it is undoubtedly of public interest. Is an NCSU win over UNC in basketball not news until Joe says so, too?

I am fine with their story because they clearly indicate that they’re reporting on mere chatter. They indicate that all their multiple sources were off-the-record; and with language like “is expected to” in the story’s lead, they’re not claiming that anything is set-in-stone. They also say there’s no official university statement as of yet.

With no university employee making official statements of behalf of the university, it sounds like your people did their job, don’t blame the N&O for doing theirs.

By: Tyler Dukes

Tyler Dukes — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:51:03 +0000

I suppose it’s also your argument that the N&O should have held its coverage of the Mary Easley scandal until someone in the administration confirmed wrongdoing?

N.C. State commands more than half a billion dollars of taxpayer money, but has consistently set up a chancellor selection process that fails to vet the candidates before the public.

Sorry, but when the president of the UNC System makes his pick for that leadership position, it’s news — even if you don’t want it to be.

By: Joe Hice

Joe Hice — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:50:07 +0000

It’s a challenge today with the definitions of news changing and the speed of information accelerating. As a public university we’re held to higher standards and while our initial reaction may be to spread the word as quickly as possible, in situations like this you just have to wait. Hope you all are staying warm down there.

By: Grant Heston

Grant Heston — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:46:13 +0000

Great post, Joe! This is happening with more and more frequency, unfortunately. You nailed it by saying university communicators need to respect the process and not conclude that anything is a fait accompli. I plan to share this with our team here.

Best wishes at NCSU!

By: Joe Hice

Joe Hice — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:45:05 +0000

The search process is managed by the University of North Carolina Genearl Administration and its Board of Governors. Their policy is that all Chancellor searches are conducted in private. They believe that qualified candidates will be less likely to participate in a public search.