Colin Donohue

From Mountain Xpress News (2/4/09): While a recent release asserted that URTV follows open-meetings law, a video has surfaced with statements made by Executive Director Pat Garlinghouse at the public-access channel’s last board meeting that misrepresent that law, according a North Carolina Press Association attorney—and some board members claim they were not consulted in a press release that claimed to speak on their behalf.

From Mountain Xpress.com (2/11/09): The URTV offices were dark and the doors locked at 8 a.m. on Feb. 9, making it unclear if a planned special meeting of the public-access channel’s Executive Committee was inside.

Ken Calhoun, assistant professor of Communications, won the Broadcast Education Association Award for Excellence for a screenplay based on a short story he wrote called “Noise Gate.”

Phoenix14News, Elon University’s weekly student newscast, won first place in the nation in the Broadcast Education Association awards competition.

From the Raleigh News and Observer (2/10/09): Outside auditors hired by Wake County following a spending scandal in its environmental services department last summer told commissioners Monday that after a sweeping review, they found no fraud.

From the Hendersonville Times-News (2/10/09): In a year when a lack of money should restrain the Legislature from costly projects, lawmakers should focus on a few projects that are cheap (even free) and achievable.

Assistant professor Ocek Eke published an article titled “Darfur: Coverage of a genocide by three major US TV networks on their evening news” in the International Journal of Media & Cultural Politics.

From the Wilmington Star-News (2/6/09): The public's business is the public's business. And when individuals or organizations have to go to court to enforce the state's open government laws, the lawbreakers should pay.