At-Large Coverage: Black Eye at the City Paper?

Sean Braisted is on top of the City Paper's coverage of the at-Large race and issues of race:

Yesterday I contacted [NCP] reporter Bill Harless, the author of Monday's article, who said he tried to contact all of the candidates for his story on Friday [highlighting only the white at-Large candidates], but was only able to get in contact with (before deadline) the four candidates who were listed. He said that Salleta Holloway was the only one to return his call, but that was after the deadline.

I spoke last night with some of these candidates, and according to Jerry Maynard he did not receive a call. Salleta Holloway's campaign manager Quenton White was at the forum last night, and according to him Salleta never would've called without contacting him first, and she never did that. Luvenia Butler did get a message, and called Monday, obviously past the deadline. Ronnie Greer also received a message, but according to him he has more important things to do than talk to the press.

Ever the diplomat, Sean asks some nonetheless pointed questions about media coverage of race. With less diplomacy, I would also ask whether deadlines become an excuse not to make sure there is balance and fairness in reporting? I have had reporters call me a day away from deadlines. That seems to be cutting it close and thus risking that issues like bias are read in or into the story.