Gov. Bev Perdue's administration frequently put its own political spin on unemployment figures, putting the best possible light on bad figures, according to a story in The Carolina Journal.
After reviewing emails and correspondence, The Journal found that the governor's office often was briefed on the unemployment figures by Division of Employment Security before they were released to the public.
The governor's office often pressed for ways that the unemployment figures should be interpreted favorably in the statements issued by Lynn Holmes, the director of the employment office, and a gubernatorial appointee, the story said.
The article also raised the question of whether it was legal for Division of Employment of Security – previously known as the Employment Security Commission – to share the labor statistics with the governor prior to their public release.
The labor data is provided under contract by the U.S. Labor Department to state agencies such as the Division of Employment Security. The Carolina Journal article raises the question whether such sharing of the information with the governor and the governor's office violates the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002, which carries a fine of up to $250,000 and five years in prison.
Scott Laster, the executive director of the state Republican Party, labeled it “secret insider-trading of government data that Perdue has attempted to manipulate for political advantage.”
The Carolina Journal is published by the John Locke Foundation, a conservative Raleigh think tank, started by Raleigh businessman Art Pope.
The story included memos such as one from Mark Johnson, the governor's deputy communications director, saying, “the governor's message on jobs should be reflected. For example, Lynn's quote could say something to the effect: 'As Gov. Perdue continues to fulfill her No. 1 priority of bring new jobs to North Carolina, the state saw a significant number of job gains in February.'
UPDATE: “It’s entirely appropriate for the Division of Employment Security (formerly Employment Security Commission) to share final employment estimates with the Governor’s office," said Chris Mackey, the governor's press secretary. "Gov. Perdue remains committed to creating jobs and moving North Carolina forward.”
Comments
Did you N&O folks ....
December 22, 2011 - 1:09am — InspectorPittCheck to see if it is appropriate?
Or, did you decide to take Mackey's word for it?
Why haven't the N&O reporters looked at the emails and at federal law to determine the facts, and report it in a news story instead of a blog?
"You can't handle the truth!"
December 20, 2011 - 5:17am — inandohI do not think this will be a shock to many North Carolinians. When was the last time something coming from state government was not "spinned." The only thing that I believe was not "spinned" lately was when the state government revealed they had no idea how many state vehicles were on the books. That is probably the truth. I believe most everyone discounts state government "official" information by a factor somewhere around 83%. I think the current administration operates under the logic that "You can't handle the truth!"
Who will Bev scapegoat this time?
December 19, 2011 - 2:00pm — concerned53Mark, I knew that you should not have left the N&O to spin stories for Bev. Now you may be the fall guy. But watch out Bev, as he may have too many other stories about you that he could share with everyone!