The News Behind the News

Thanks to technology, many people now complain of information overload, and as busy as we all are, there's little time to devour every piece of news that crosses America's radios, televisions, newspapers and websites. That's too bad.

It's understandable some people feel that way, as a lot of what passes for news is fluff and filler. Yet behind the quick sound bites and
headlines that dominate modern news consumption, there is so much news that we seldom see or hear. Journalists are pretty good at giving us the bullet points, but few reporters have enough depth of knowledge of the subjects they cover to give us the why or the backstory.

Here's a quick local example. Last week, local media reported that State Rep. Paul Battles, R-Cartersville, announced he would not run for Bartow County commissioner in 2012 and would instead seek reelection to his legislative seat. That's an important piece of news since there are more than a half dozen others, and possibly more, known to be interested in replacing retiring Commissioner Clarence Brown. There are also several folks interested in Battles' House seat, especially if he were to not run for re-election next year. However, the timing of Battles announcement immediately raised another issue for me.

Most folks are aware that throughout the past several weeks, state legislators have been holding a series of across the state for the purpose of gathering public opinion concerning the upcoming redrawing of boundaries for Georgia's House, Senate and Congressional districts. Every 10 years, each election district in the nation must be rebalanced to reflect new Census data. For a fast growing state like Georgia, that means major changes.

Legislators will meet next month in a special session for the purpose of redistricting. Having had a front row seat during the redistricting bouts of 1990 and 2000, I can tell you it is hand-to-hand political combat. Political party leaders will fight to maximize their party's chances at the ballot box. You have incumbent legislators and congressmen worried about political survival, working to get their own personal districts drawn to their liking.

There are business lobbyists and special interests that see redistricting as an opportunity to possibly cut the legs out from under their legislative enemies. And, of course, there are those legislative and
congressional wannabes hoping that changes will provide an opening for them to either make a run against a weakened incumbent or seek a new open seat. You can bet they're down there trying to influence the process as well.

So how does this all tie back into Paul Battles' announcement that he would not run for Bartow County commissioner and would instead seek reelection to the state House? The bottom line is that in redistricting, there are winners and losers. Back in the spring, word had already gotten back to the Republican Party number crunchers that Battles might not run for re-election. Because of this, the area included in his current district was considered at play, which means that territory and its voters could be used to help accomplish other redistricting goals. Cartersville might be split two or three different ways under the new plan, if needed.

I'm not a mind reader and don't know whether the timing of Battles' decision was influenced by redistricting concerns, but his decision does have an immediate impact. Though he's not considered a powerful member of the legislature and doesn't hold a leadership position, the fact that Battles is seeking re-election might at least keep his current district boundaries from changing too much.

After reading this, some of you might think this is all much ado about nothing. However, if a few weeks from now Bartow County were to get sliced and diced beyond recognition during the redistricting special session, I bet you wouldn't be happy about it. Now you know the back story.

Ready for another example? Newly enacted SB 10 lets Georgia cities and counties hold local referendums for the purpose of allowing Sunday package sales of alcohol, and several neighboring cities, such as Kennesaw and Rome, plan to place the question on the ballot this November. However, Cartersville officials have indicated they have no plans to do likewise.

The office of Cartersville mayor, along with some of the city council and school board seats, is up for grabs this fall, so it wouldn't cost taxpayers anything extra to place the alcohol question on the ballot. So why wouldn't city leaders take advantage of this opportunity?

One guess is they are afraid it would bring extra focus on the election and might generate some challengers for current incumbents up for re-election. Also, with an issue such as alcohol on the ballot, voter turnout would be heavier and high turnout is always politically dangerous for sitting office holders.

There could be other reasons, such as not wanting to put county Commissioner Clarence Brown on the hot seat as his career comes to a close. Brown has indicated he won't place the alcohol question on the ballot for unincorporated Bartow County during his term in office, which expires at the end of 2012. Having Sunday package sales legal inside Cartersville city limits while illegal outside the city could cause the annexation issue to rear its head again. The problem is we'll probably never know the answer because local media either doesn't know to ask the right questions or is afraid of upsetting our local officials.

Personally, I would prefer more in depth reporting and analysis, and a little less fluff, but there are some influential people who like things just the way they are. Just remember that what you usually see in the news won't give you the complete picture. For that you'll have to do a little research and connect the dots.

Follow me on Twitter @chuckshiflett and also check out my statewide columns at: The Backroom Report.