Journalistic Malpractice; Greensboro News & Record’s Kevin Griffin knew the SBI interviewed Hartzman on Matheny before writing post primary election story
On “Crawford, Matheny and Marshall finish first in Greensboro City Council district primaries”
On council, Matheny has also positioned himself as an advocate for accountability, particularly when it comes to initiatives addressing homelessness or building affordable housing.
Kevin Griffin
Matheny runs a secretive program, bussing an unknown number of the unhoused out of Greensboro since 2021 with taxpayer monies paid via “American Express (Zack),” and the News & Record never reported it.
These expenses were included within a total of $224,981 for the “4115 · Downtown Ambassador Program BBB”;
Zack Matheny’s DGI quietly transported homeless individuals out of Greensboro city limits without coordination with the Greensboro Police Department or Guilford County’s Homeless Task Force. Partners Ending Homelessness had no knowledge of the program, and the News & Record didn’t report it.
As both DGI CEO and Council member, Matheny both lobbied and voted to fund the program, oversaw its implementation and personally authorized and paid for the expenses with City of Greensboro taxpayer monies, and the News & Record never reported it, and now Executive Editor Diman Kendrick-Holmes, Managing Editor Jeri Young, Editorial Page Editor Allen Johnson and Kevin Griffin are covering up the story during an election cycle.
...Matheny has also been a target of criticism over his employment as president of the taxpayer-funded nonprofit Downtown Greensboro Inc. while also serving as a city council member.
Critics, including some local business owners and activists, say that Matheny’s dual role, and his relationships with prominent developers, create conflicts of interest and may skirt ethical or even legal boundaries.
Kevin Griffin
This passage raises potentially serious ethical and legal concerns about Matheny’s dual role but fails to substantiate them with specifics. It mentions “criticism” and “conflicts of interest” without naming what specific actions or decisions are in question or which ethical or legal standards may have been violated. The News & Record has yet to report on any specific incidences for the public to evaluate. For instance;
The vague phrasing “critics say,” “relationships with prominent developers,” and “may skirt boundaries” relies on implication rather than evidence a journalist is supposed to report.
Without details such as dates, contract amounts, specific developers, or examples of overlapping responsibilities between Matheny’s DGI work and his city council duties, the statement functions more as incomplete innuendo rather than substantive reporting.
It suggests controversy without giving readers the concrete information necessary to evaluate whether the controversy is warranted.
As the criticism of Matheny heightened this summer, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation announced in late June they had opened an investigation into a member of the Greensboro City Council.
The SBI has not identified the subject of the investigation. Matheny has said as recently as Sept. 4 [it’s October 8th] that he has not been contacted by the agency.
Kevin Griffin
At last week’s Guilford County Commissioner’s meeting on the real estate revaluation, I was engaged in a conversation with Kevin Griffin during which I told him the SBI interviewed me about the Matheny issues.
The article notes that the SBI opened an investigation “into a member of the Greensboro City Council” but omits critical context; what prompted the investigation, which agency or individuals referred the matter, what the potential subject or allegations are, and who has been involved and why.
September 19th;
The date cited is misleading, stating Matheny “has said as recently as Sept. 4” that he has not been contacted by the SBI, even though it is now October 8, subtly invites suspicion without clarifying whether anything has changed since.
August 9th;
The story leans on proximity to an investigation and suggestive phrasing rather than transparent sourcing or evidence. It gestures toward scandal without the factual grounding that would make the reporting credible or fair.
Matheny has denied any wrongdoing, saying in July: “I think the personal attacks that I’ve absorbed over the last three years are just really immature, baseless personal attacks with absolutely no substance except vitriol.”
Kevin Griffin
My involvement began after I received a Fiscal Year 23-24 DGI related ledger from an Eric Robert records request, likely released by mistake, on May 21, 2025. The IRS 990 from DGI for the corresponding fiscal year was released on June 12.
The News & Record quotes Matheny’s denial but provides no journalistic substance beyond the sound bite. While his statement dismisses the accusations as “baseless personal attacks,” the article fails to test that claim or provide context for readers to assess its accuracy. What specific allegations is Matheny responding to? Has any evidence been presented to substantiate or refute the criticisms?
By reproducing the quote without analysis or factual balance, the piece effectively gives Matheny the last word while Griffin leaves his audience uninformed about the underlying issues. It reads more like a placeholder for journalism than actual accountability reporting.
He has received support from fellow council members and city attorneys when critics have asked Matheny to recuse from votes on certain contracts.
Which council members? Doesn’t say. Is it a majority, a minority? The News & Record doesn’t say. What were the contracts in question? The News & Record doesn’t and hasn’t said.
Why did people want him to recuse? Doesn’t say. What are the alleged conflicts? The News & Record doesn’t and hasn’t said. What kind of support did he receive? Doesn’t say. Did attorneys issue formal opinions? They did not. Did council votes affirm his ability to participate in certain votes? None that I am aware of. Which attorneys? Are these the City Attorneys who represent City Council, as opposed to the public? Has City attorney Lora Cubbage been contacted, now that Chuck Watts “retired”?
The public doesn’t deserve selective storytelling. When a reporter and newspaper know the State Bureau of Investigation has interviewed a named source about a sitting councilmember’s potential criminal violations, omitting those facts from post-election coverage isn’t restraint, it’s distortion.
By leaving readers unaware that the SBI had already spoken with me regarding Matheny and DGI, Kevin Griffin and the News & Record withheld material context that could have changed how the public understood both the story and the timing of its publication. Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth; when that duty is sacrificed to protect power or preserve political narratives, what remains isn’t reporting, it’s journalistic malpractice.
Better reporting than our own paper. Thanks for putting this together.
Shared everywhere i have accounts..