Charlotte Observer
Observer editorial page editor
Ed Williams (left) addresses rumors that former publisher
Peter Ridder promised favorable editorial treatment for ex-North Carolina House Speaker
Jim Black. "I bring it up because it reflects on the integrity of the Observer and it reflects on me, and I don't like it," writes Williams. "Publishers don't write editorials. I and the four associate editors do. Any deal to favor Black would have to include us. But never did Ridder ask us to write anything about Black. Never did he seek to deter us from writing what we thought we should write about Black." Also, Ridder denies making a deal with Black.
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Weekly: Observer should have put the heat on Black, but never did (CL)
