Gov. Haley refuses reporter answers

by William Moultrie  
Charleston, SC – South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has never had a problem picking favorites in the media, but on Wednesday she formalized her cozy arrangement with Charleston’s Post and Courier.

The Post and Courier insists it will continue the same balanced and fair coverage of the governor it has always maintained.

Starting immediately, the official press office for Governor Haley will be located at 134 Columbus Street in the offices of The Evening Post Publishing Company, parent company of the Post and Courier.
The Post and Courier was the only major newspaper in the state to endorse Haley’s candidacy for governor.
“It’s a great day in South Carolina,” said Haley, announcing the change from a podium in front of the building. “This administration is all about transparency, and what’s more transparent than sharing space with the highest circulation newspaper in our state?”
Neither the Evening Post Company nor the Post and Courier had any comment other than to say they are merely leasing surplus office space and that the arrangement would have no impact on their coverage of the Haley administration.

Earlier in the day Haley raised some eyebrows when she stated that she would not be answering any questions posed by Gina Smith, a reporter for The State newspaper.
Haley was insistant that the snub had nothing to do with her arrangement with the Post and Courier, stating that “I have always been open to questions from any fair-minded reporters, as long as they stick to the topics covered in my press releases. Reporters need to respect their place in the process, and that’s to report the news. I’m the governor, and if I say it’s not news, then it’s not news.”