Best Newspaper in NC?

[Jerseyman4]

What do you think is the best newspaper in the tar heel state?

I chose the N&O because of its excellent coverage to transportation stories in the Triangle and throughout the state.

[QC704]

I dont know, the news and observer was awful whiny about Charlotte getting the CIAA tournament.

[orulz]

Best overall newspaper? I couldn't say. I propose this: why not just use this topic to discuss newspapers in the state rather than arguing over whose newspaper is better than all the rest?

The NP's I find myself shaking my head in agreement with more than anything else are the Independent Weekly here in the Triangle, and the Mountain Xpress in Asheville. Both are free, both are weekly, both have very little actual reporting content, and both are preachy and green/liberal. What's most impressive is how the Xpress and the Independent both also do a surprisingly thorough job of covering the play-by-play at each and every city council meeting, something which the major papers (N&O or C-T) don't do so great at.

[redjeep77]

Actually, all of the NC newspapers are pretty crummy. The quality of writing (i.e. high school reading level) and the interests they present tribute to this. It would be nice if lets say Charlotte, with all of its banking connections, created a business oriented paper for an upper-level education. Now i know this sounds snobby, but if there is the Times, the Post, and Wall St. Journal, i think that CLT could make its mark as well

[StevenRocks]

I agree with Jerseyman4. The N&O consistently produces a paper worth reading. The Charlotte Observer is a close second, with the Greensboro News & Record and Winston-Salem Journal getting honorable mentions.

[monsoon]

I think the News & Observer is a better written paper than the Observer. The Observer has let its quality drop a great deal over the past few years. That may be due in part to its association with WCNC TV.

[blueize74]

Durham Herald-Sun - we all have our reasons, but good Duke coverage

[cltlvr]

I like both the Charlotte Observer and the Raleigh N&O...but of course the Charlotte paper carries more stuff I am interested in since I live here.

One thing that the Charlotte paper is clearly better on is distribution...no matter where you are in NC...it is realtivly easy to find a Charlotte Observer...you can even find it in the major cities in SC....however good luck on finding a N&O anywhere but the Triangle and eastern NC.

[DigitalSky]

That may be due in part to its association with WCNC TV.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What's wrong with WCNC?

I like both the Charlotte Observer and the Raleigh N&O...but of course the Charlotte paper carries more stuff I am interested in since I live here.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah Clt Observer is my fav.. and i'm more interested in it.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

in terms of how the paper looks, the Observor is a great paper, but in terms of content... it seems to be mostly AP stories and a few staff written works. Personally I would rather have the paper hire more professional staff and write more articles in house. But since less people read the papers now that probably will not happen. I do not know of any of the other NC papers.

[Jerseyman4]

One annoyance of WCNC.com is that you have to sign up to use their website although im aware it is a free site.

You can't even check to see the viewing area dopplar radar either unless you sign up.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

use bugmenot.com and you will be fine.

[cityboi]

The Greensboro News and Record received national attention on the major networks for its online blog and "town sqaure concept" online community. Major U.S. cities including USA Today are monitoring what Greensboro is doing.

[StevenRocks]

Remeber when the N&R went USA Today style in the early '90s. It was fresh and brilliant, but people didn't know what to think. Now they've gone back to the more tradtional look. A little boring, but still a good paper.

[DigitalSky]

You can't even check to see the viewing area dopplar radar either unless you sign up.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

try this for doppler radars: Doppler Radars across Carolina

[ralex231]

I hate the N&O sports page they are so full of it when it comes to state, duke, or carolina. THey barely give any other coverage to any other acc teams. But in all i like the N&O the best

[jb4563]

The Observer has let its quality drop a great deal over the past few years.  That may be due in part to its association with WCNC TV.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You're statement makes no sense.

WCNC and the Observer just started their association in the last few months...so a decline would not be over the past few years.

Plus, WCNC has been shown to have the most highly educated/intelligent viewrs of the big 3 in the metro area.

[jb4563]

The Winston-Salem Journal has to be the worst of the major papers in NC. I'll see articles in that paper that were printed 2-3 days before in the N&O and the Observer.

The "metro" section will be like 6 pages sometimes.

The News & Record and Journal need to merge to become a more united voice for the Triad.

[Miesian Corners]

I like the Observer, except for when it puts stupid entertainment stories/sporting events on the front page at the expense of news that actually might affect us.

I'm no fan of the war in Iraq, but I was a bit miffed at the Observer's front page extravaganza on the Coca Cola 600/NASCAR on Memorial Day. Maybe it wouldn't have bothered me so much if we didn't have servicemen and women dying on a daily basis in a war 7,000 miles away, but we do.

I also see no problem with WCNC. I would much rather have them associated with the Observer than the Nightly Murder Report a/k/a Eyewitness News on WSOC.

I enjoyed the News and Record when I lived in Greensboro. They were never scared to tell a story, even if it was going to anger the powers that be. The Observer sits on stories sometimes so not to get on the bad sides of the ______ family (insert whichever sirname: Harris, Bissel, etc.).

Columbia, SC's paper, The State, is pretty good. However, Charleston's News and Courier (or the Newsless Courier as we used to call it) is tragic.

[krazeeboi]

WCNC just seems to be more professional to me.