BY MILES LAYTON

An ode to Julian Eure from God’s country…

First, there’s to be a changing of the guard at the Daily Advance and the local weeklies. 

Longtime Daily Advance Managing Editor Julian Eure’s last day is today, Friday, Feb. 28. If memory serves me correct, Eure has been writing/editing the local news for nearly 35 years – so he deserves our respect and a good send-off, not a warmed-over corporate press release peppered with a few quotes. Instead, I’ll provide you with a solid portrait of the man, at least as I saw him.  

Here’s what I’ll say – Eure is the best editor I’ve ever worked for – very thorough — the type of editor who demanded that reporters ask important questions to get information that should be included in stories. Eure could’ve easily worked for the New York Times or Washington Post when those were considered good newspapers.

From my days covering the Quentin Jackson chronicles, I remember reporting on the marathon-long sessions where Council member Jackson and others would filibuster during Hertford Town Council meetings. There’s no denying that Jackson terrorized council, the mayor, the media – sometimes it was highly entertaining, other times it was hard to cover his rantings.

No joke – during one meeting, maybe others, Jackson had as his zoom background a group of white hooded folks in front of a Confederate flag — that’s where the photo comes from. There was this one time that a council’s meeting was hijacked – a dick was drawn on the television screen as the meeting progressed. Sorry, but it was hilarious.

Anyway, because these council meetings were all over the place, sometimes including colorful language and much more… much more… things tended to be difficult to write and nail down after an 8-hour meeting. I didn’t mind throwing in all the good, the bad and ugly that Jackson and his allies said – without filter – because people needed to know what was really happening.  

A talented editor, Eure was able to take my prose, polish the turd that was Jackson’s latest tirade, and turn that story into something resembling journalism. As a longtime editor/reporter, I can say with certainty that it’s not an easy task to polish crap, particularly crap flowing from public meetings. But Eure had that ability, and through that, he made the Daily Advance and the weeklies top-notch newspapers.  

What people may or may not recognize is that Eure set the bar high for journalism in this region. These days, many editors are overworked and understaffed because their corporate overlords have no concept of how to successfully manage a newspaper or serve the community – management that is so out of touch that you almost feel bad for the company’s owners and shareholders since these media outlets are in a death spiral in terms of profitability, audience reach and journalistic standards.  

However, Eure is a product of a different generation – the last of a dying breed of newsmen, committed to journalism in spite of overwhelming odds.  Though Eure saw his underpaid staff shrink and turn over many times throughout his tour of duty, he never shirked from doing his best.

Since I am an early riser, I would find Eure hard at work soon after sunrise and he would stay late into the day. If there was late breaking news to cover, Eure wouldn’t hesitate to make sure the story was on the front page of the next edition.

And I don’t mind saying – long before I chose the red pill and then nailed my theses up on the church door like Martin Luther to start the Reformation, albeit reforming journalism through the Albemarle Observer, my dream job was to lead the Daily Advance like Eure. 

That said, Eure and the Daily Advance had – have – its critics. You won’t read this in the Daily Advance or the weeklies, but there’s no denying that Eure is a liberal lion – there’s nothing wrong with that.

While it’s probably no surprise that the vast overwhelming majority of reporters/editors lean left or extreme left, Eure always stood for the common man, never hesitating to question authority – that’s what you want in a journalist.   

However, I’ve lived a long time in Eastern NC, long enough to know that politics has changed over the past 40 years.

These days it’s safe to say that Republican politicians and rural leaders have condemned the Daily Advance time and again for what they perceived, right or wrong, as its left-leaning reporting, a point of view that has increasingly come under fire because of failed Democratic policies and identity politics. 

To be candid, if certain Republican state and local leaders knew it was the Daily Advance needing a story or a quote, they would not answer their phones, or if they did, they wouldn’t hesitate to condemn that news outlet in no uncertain terms before hanging up.

Right or wrong, that perception of the Daily Advance as a left of center media outlet is not going to change any time soon, even with a new editor.  

With Eure’s retirement, that reminds me of how many topnotch local journalists’ bylines have faded from the page during the past few years including Mike Goodman, former Daily Advance editor/publisher now retired, longtime Chowan Herald staff writer Rebecca Bunch, RIP, and Perquimans Weekly Pete Williams, RIP. That’s too bad – means it’s the end of a golden era because the news business has changed, not necessarily for the better.

News business these days — a house fire is a chance to do a story about global warming, and few reporters question the government’s accepted narrative but instead parrot politicos’ talking points. That’s how we got “trust the science”.

I’ll end on this note – Eure’s integrity and commitment to quality journalism is a testament to his character. Eure’s reporting and leadership have earned many accolades for the Daily Advance from the North Carolina Press Association. Eure leaves on top of his game – his retirement is well deserved.

Julian, thank you for your service to journalism.