Southern News, Southern Politics: How a Newspaper Defined a State for a Century

by Rob Christensen

Newspapers are a tough business, and no one knows that better than Rob Christensen, who was chief political reporter at North Carolina's capital newspaper, the News and Observer, for decades. Here he tells the story of the N&O and how it helped shape modern North Carolina in complicated ways. It's also the story of a family four generations of the Daniels family owned and ran the N&OI. They not only helped elect governors but also played an influential role in national American politics—family members served as political lieutenants to William Jennings Bryan, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, and Harry Truman.

Christensen takes readers from the N&O's early days at the turn of the twentieth century as the militant voice of white supremacy to its denunciation by segregationist Jesse Helms for "selling out the South" in the 1960s and finally to its dwindling current fortunes. By telling the story of one important regional newspaper, Christensen shows how influence and messaging matter in influencing the politics of a state and a region for generations.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Politics

336 pages, Hardcover

Published March 4, 2025

Reviews

[Ethan Britton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for learning about the history of North Carolina, the News & Observer, and Josephus Daniels

[Erin Hawley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really great and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this! I've only been to Raleigh once before and had never heard of the News & Observer, but I still found this book compelling and hard to put down. This newspaper's rippling impact across American culture and politics makes this book relevant to any American and this books makes you appreciate what we have lost in the decline in local journalism.

Characterizing the modern news landscape as the era of "fake news" seems like an exaggeration compared to the outright lies and openly biased news of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Christensen's account of the journalistic intentions of the time makes it very plain how generations of white Americans were riled up into a violently racist frenzy post-Civil War and into the twentieth century. I had never really thought about how much access people had to presidents and politicians in the early twentieth century or how newspapers had such a chokehold on how ordinary folks understood their own situation and the world around them. (We take the dozens of available news sources and perspectives available for granted.) The impact of one regional newspaper and its larger-than-life publishers across North Carolina and American politics is boggling and Christensen does a great job relating this impact.

The author is a very seasoned journalist, and it really shows in the storytelling. Christensen explains and relates the very ugly racism so that you can understand why or how someone would be so hateful without Lost Cause or modern "it was a different time" apologisms. The cognitive dissonance of the newspaper being so racist and yet champions of women's suffrage, fighting anti-semitism, and other progressive to modern standard opinions was very surprising. This newspaper's story is told in chronological order from the late 1800s to present day with a lot of focus on the individual publishers of the Daniels family and their hires who shaped the paper. You don't need an a lot of background on the time to understand the narrative because Christensen provides useful but concise historical context, which is very helpful to make this a pretty straightforward read. I also imagine due to the immense research and nearly half a century experience Christensen has with the News & Observer that this book could have been much longer, but Christensen made this very digestible.

If you are interested in turn of the 20th century politics, the rise and fall of newspapers and journalism, or the white supremacist narratives that spawned the Jim Crow policies, you will find this book very interesting. I think North Carolinians and NC university students and alumni will especially appreciate this.

Thank you, University of North Carolina Press, for the arc!

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exhaustive account of the erstwhile paper of record in the Triangle, written by their longtime reporter and columnist. This book covers the News & Observer's history from its purchase in 1895 by Josephus Daniels (who managed to be both stridently pro-labor and also virulently racist and segregationist) through its present-day state with a badly depleted newsroom and an evaporated revenue base.

Christensen did many personal interviews with contributors, and he adds personal details when they help paint the picture. I loved the images he depicted of the old-school newsroom. I recognized so many names from the 28 years when I was an avid reader and subscriber.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding history of the Daniels family, the News & Observer, and North Carolina politics - all of which were inextricably intertwined. The last chapter and Conclusion describing the decline of the newspaper in the digital age and likewise the watchdog reporting that kept citizens informed and aware were sobering to read. I can attest that it has become a challenge to remain educated and informed in a time ruled by the internet, social media, and the b/vlogosphere, where anyone can post anything with little to no regard for accuracy. Thank goodness for authors like Mr. Christensen (whose N&O columns I used to read) who are dedicated to the preservation of journalistic integrity.

[Nash Herndon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent and well-documented history of an important North Carolina newspaper’s political influence during the previous century, when public opinions and even access to truthful information were largely shaped by the printing press. Rob Christensen’s account about the four generations of the family that owned and operated the News and Observer of Raleigh offers a behind-the-scenes tour of that family’s political connections and influences, as well as their challenges from powerful opponents and institutions. It has a truthful ring, an unvarnished portrait of the family’s laudable strengths as well as its many foibles.

[Paulatics · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-written, well-researched book about the history if the Raleigh News & Observer and the Daniels family who owned and ran it (and the NC Democratic Party) for many years. The author was a long-time political reporter for the paper. An excellent contribution to the history of NC.

[Kezia Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched and very compelling
story/thesis but tough to follow at times.

[Cath · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - 4