Controlling the Narrative: Respected Journalist Describes How Cooper Administration Blocks Honest Press

RALEIGH – Nick Ochsner is the Chief Investigative Reporter for WBTV-TV in the Charlotte area. He usually focuses on state politics, with a knack for digging deep on issues, uncovering and reporting on details that many others either don’t care to discover, or don’t want to inform the public of.

He’s a pretty straight shooter, who has had both Republicans and Democrats under the magnifying glass at times, and has won awards for doing it. So when Ocshner complains that the Cooper administration is blatantly ignoring, and actively restricting, the ability of reporters to ask real questions — about COVID responses, campaign issues, cultural upheavals, or what have you — it should raise a few eyebrows.

Ochsner sounded off on Twitter criticizing Governor Roy Cooper for exactly that:

I got on today’s press call with @NC_Governor in hopes that I could ask him a question for a story that is airing tonight. I’ve sent multiple emails to his office since Tuesday morning, all of which have been ignored. Once again, I wasn’t allowed to ask a question #ncpol 1/

— Nick Ochsner (@NickOchsnerWBTV) October 15, 2020

The Governor’s Office totally ignoring serious questions I send them days in advance for the story is not new. What is new is that, previously, I could go to an event somewhere in the state and ask those question in-person. I can’t do that now 2/ #ncpol

— Nick Ochsner (@NickOchsnerWBTV) October 15, 2020

The only chance I had of asking the Governor the important question for this story — which involves his refusal to meet with or substantively respond to requests from other people — was a member of his staff allowing me to ask a question today. That didn’t happen #ncpol

— Nick Ochsner (@NickOchsnerWBTV) October 15, 2020

I’ve been called on to ask the Governor a question once, in April. Since then, every time I’ve dialed in I have not been called on. There is no other way for me to try and hold Gov. Cooper accountable /end #ncpol

— Nick Ochsner (@NickOchsnerWBTV) October 15, 2020

So, a reporter is working on a story about Cooper giving the cold shoulder to anyone that doesn’t sing his praises loud enough, merely wants the governor’s perspective to include in a balanced story, and he gets the cold shoulder.

This has been the case for months, with Cooper completely tailoring who can ask him questions during COVID briefings. He has refused to hold in person press conferences at which reporters could at least shout their questions, instead holding on to the convenient control of questions that remote teleconferences give him.

That way, the Left-leaning Raleigh-centric outlets that want to see him reelected (and often help him toward that end) get lots of questions every time. The others, out of favor outlets and honest reporters with real questions that deserve real answers? They get conveniently ignored.