The Face of Haywood County Media Bias Against Conservatives

Cory Vaillancourt controversy Over Michael Whatley Meet & Greet

The recent Cory Vaillancourt controversy began at a Michael Whatley Meet & Greet, which was being sponsored by a Haywood County citizen on July 18th of this year.

Cory Vaillancourt, a fired journalist from the Smoky Mountain News and, in my opinion, a failed news reporter, poster child for radical fake news reporting, a stalker, and a bully, who is now currently employed by the very liberal Asheville Citizens Times, wrote an article for the Asheville Daily Times on NC Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley’s Meet & Greet meeting in Waynesville. That article was as far away from truth and reality as one could possibly get without entering the twilight zone.

Cory Vaillancourt has verbally attacked Haywood County conservative Republicans with disrespectful comments and false or distorted accusations for far too long. The incident at the Michael Whatley Meet & Greet was NOT a political party-sponsored or funded event; it was organized, sponsored, and paid for by two Haywood County citizens, but that did not stop Vaillancourt from implying in his article that it was sponsored by the Haywood County Republican Party.

In the article, Vaillancourt claimed that the press was denied entry to the Whatley event, thereby denying them their 1st Amendment right.

However, the July 19th incident involving Cory Vaillancourt was not about the press being turned away from a political event, as Mr. Vaillancourt grossly misreported in the Asheville Citizens Times. It was about something larger:

•      This was about one far-left radical socialist democrat who has a

      long history of falsely and negatively reporting on any

       conservative issue or political candidate.

  
  

•      This was about his constantly verbally harassing, intimidating,

       and making conservatives, and in particular Haywood County

     Republicans, feel threatened by his comments and actions.

  
  

•      This was about one far-left radical socialist democrat reporter

      who does not report on conservatives as political participants

      with legitimate views, but as targets to be framed, mocked, or

       damaged.

Based on my analysis of information from the Asheville Citizens Times and Asheville Real Politics articles and posts, as well as personal sources regarding that incident, it appears to me that Vaillancourt may have a personal vendetta against those whose political ideology does not align with his.

He is particularly fixated on certain individuals associated with the Haywood County Republican Party, to the point that he has threatened one who opposes his ideology and questions his journalistic integrity, stating that he was going to get that person. What exactly did he mean? Not knowing is very intimidating and threatening. This, in my opinion, is not the characteristics of a journalist but of a very troubled person with low self-esteem.

The press was not excluded from the event, as reported by Vaillancourt in the Asheville Citizens Times; members of other news media were present. Vaillancourt was not excluded because he was a journalist; he was excluded because of his misconduct when interacting with conservatives and his pattern of unfair and biased reporting on conservatives and Republicans. All of which I have personally witnessed and been subjected to.

Again, the organizer did not deny entry to journalists as a category. He rejected one specific individual with a deep history of writing dishonest and distorted radical socialist propaganda stories about conservatives and Republicans.

The fact is that he alone was denied entry while other reporters were welcomed. A fact that was ignored by Vaillancourt in his article in the Asheville Citizens Times. Rather, for political theater, he framed his article as a freedom-of-the-press issue when, in fact, it was about a specific reporter whose work had damaged his credibility with the people he wanted to cover.

In my opinion, Vaillancourt has become the profile of "Fake" journalism for Haywood County conservatives. He is an example of a radical socialist who claims to be a journalist. Vaillancourt expects access to conservatives while refusing to accurately and truthfully report on conservative issues and to interact with them with the respect that any individual deserves regardless of political ideology.

There is a difference between tough reporting and dishonest reporting. There is a big difference between asking uncomfortable questions and building a reputation for writing stories that are already preloaded with false and distorted conclusions.

Freedom of the Press does not mean freedom from consequences when sources lose confidence. It does not mean every event, of any nature, must be open to every reporter who asks. A reporter who loses the trust of a community should not be surprised when that community refuses him access.

One of the most common mistakes in political media is treating every denial of access as censorship. It is not.

Vaillancourt remained free to write. The Asheville Citizen Times remained free to publish. The public remained free to discuss and criticize the decision.

That July 18th incident was not censorship. It was a dispute over access.

The press has power. Even the local press has power. A story can damage reputations, shape public opinion, and create a record that follows people for years. With that power comes responsibility.

Conservatives who distrust Vaillancourt believe that he has not yet met that level of responsibility in his journalistic interactions with the public.

Reporters often demand transparency from campaigns, candidates, churches, nonprofits, police, schools, and local governments. That is part of the job. But the standard must run both ways.

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