Speeches by Nathan Deal don't often ignite accusations of propaganda, dictatorial tactics and political revenge. But that's exactly what has happened in the aftermath of the governor's remarks at the Grady College of Journalism's Centennial gala earlier this month.
Deal told the assembled masses in a crowded Classic Center ballroom that his office has developed a workaround to the traditional media gatekeepers by increasingly relying on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to distribute its message.
"The fact is my communications office in and of itself is a medium in its own right," he said to the crowd.
That approach isn't exactly groundbreaking - there has been much hand-wringing about the existential crisis now facing the old-school media - but the tone of the remarks nonetheless prompted some head-scratching.
Among those in the audience scratching the hardest was Dink NeSmith, the publisher of Community Newspapers Inc. and the former chairman of the powerful Board of Regents.
NeSmith, who was not reappointed to the Regents by Deal, writes in a column that Deal's aides couldn't resist interfering with the board's minutiae and pressed Regents members to hire Chancellor Hank Huckaby to lead the system.
"Governors get to flex their muscles. I understand that," he wrote. "What I don’t embrace is Gov. Deal’s dictatorial tactics. The Board of Regents, by Georgia’s constitution, is protected from political meddling. Our governor has not honored and will not honor that separation of power."
Deal spokesman Brian Robinson called NeSmith's response a "tantrum" stemming from hurt feelings after he wasn't reappointed to the coveted Regents post.
"When you don’t get asked to the prom, you can be cool about it and act like you have better things to do, or you can have a public meltdown on the school PA system and make wild accusations against the person who turned a blind eye to your inviting smiles," Robinson said in a statement we've attached in its entirety below. "No decent person enjoys seeing the latter, particularly when it involves someone of dignity and respect."
The Jesup Press-Sentinel, NeSmith's hometown newspaper and one of the dozens he owns around the South, published his column this week.
He gave us permission to share it here:
On April 18, I was listening to Gov. Deal keynote The University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism's 100th Anniversary Gala. My initial impression was that he was using a light-hearted banter to make his points. "That's nice," I thought. By sunrise the next morning, I thought differently.
In reflection, I realized that he said, "I don't need newspapers, radio or TV." With a smile, he bragged that his communications staff and its social-media strategy were more important than traditional news mediums.
I am not surprised. The governor loves his personal propaganda on Twitter and Facebook, but he disdains answering reporters' questions. It is no secret: "The governor despises the AJC."
The governor despises any criticism. In early 2014, his chief of staff called to question why our newspapers run an often-critical-of-the-governor columnist. He hoped I would muzzle that barbed tongue. I explained our policy: "We don't edit our newspapers from out-of-town. We invite you to call local editors."
When Chris Riley hung up, he wasn't happy. Neither was I.
Not long after that conversation, the governor did not reappoint me to the University System of Georgia's Board of Regents. Without warning, I was abruptly removed in April 2014. My term had expired, and I respect Gov. Deal's authority to appoint whomever he wishes. I was offered another board seat, but I declined.
From the start, I wasn't a Nathan Deal supporter. Many of my friends were, but I couldn't sport his bumper stickers. There were things—like the way he got the no-bid State of Georgia contract to handle recycled cars—that just didn't smell right. And there was that cloud of ethical accusations as he left Congress. But when he was elected governor, I did my best to be supportive. After all, Georgia is my home.
In no time, I started thinking about a famous quotation of a former Georgia governor, Marvin Griffin: "I am going to take care of my friends and fire the hell out of my enemies." If you look closely, you'll see Gov. Deal follows that same mantra.
Governors get to flex their muscles. I understand that. What I don't embrace is Gov. Deal's dictatorial tactics. The Board of Regents, by Georgia's constitution, is protected from political meddling. Our governor has not honored and will not honor that separation of power. The Regents feel they must "check across the street" before any significant decision is made.
When the Regents were interviewing candidates for chancellor, Gov. Deal called me to say who we should hire. His choice was excellent, but legally, he should have stayed out of the decision. And when I was chairman and appointed the board's nominating committee, his lieutenant instructed, "The governor wants his man in the job." That kind of heavy-handed arrogance permeates this administration.
I've invested a lifetime in pushing for a better Georgia. I'll let my record speak for itself. Our state is moving forward economically, but it cannot be at the risk of forfeiting an open and transparent government. Ten million Georgians deserve better than that.
As for Nathan Deal's knife into the ribs of my profession, I respect and defend his First Amendment rights. He may be able to dictate propaganda through his own digital channels. But here's when the governor and his staff can dictate what we put in our newspapers: When Hell freezes over!
And Robinson's full response:
Many highly qualified people are not reappointed because there are many equally qualified Georgians standing in line behind them, anxious for their chance to give back to their state. Without ever quoting the governor, Dink completely misrepresents a speech the governor gave. We are happy to give that speech to all who wish to see it so they can draw their own conclusions.
And then, having absolutely no evidence of his claim, Dink says the governor hates answering questions from the media. This would certainly come as a surprise to the media that, unlike Dink's publications, actually cover the governor and get regular access to him to ask anything they want, on camera and on the record.
As the governor said in the speech mentioned above, he thinks the media play a critical role in our democracy of informing and educating the electorate. The governor respects that process, and he tries to inform Georgians of his decisions both through the traditional media and through his social media platforms. Neither supplants the other.
This is a tantrum by another name, all the more unseemly because it so transparently stems from hurt feelings. When you don't get asked to the prom, you can be cool about it and act like you have better things to do, or you can have a public meltdown on the school PA system and make wild accusations against the person who turned a blind eye to your inviting smiles. No decent person enjoys seeing the latter, particularly when it involves someone of dignity and respect.
The governor, in a quirk of timing, will find himself in a rather interesting venue later today: An appearance at The Atlanta Press Club.
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