The news obit

We are again receiving complaints about the contents of an obituary published in our news pages. At least one reader has demanded an "apology" for the contents of the recent obituary of Marguerite Lightner, the widow of Raleigh's first and only black mayor. The obituary noted that Mrs. Lightner was tried and acquitted in 1975 of knowingly accepting stolen goods. The complaints from Mrs. Lightner's friends and families are similar to questions we invariably receive when the subject of a news obit has a life history that includes elements that are not entirely positive.

A fair question raised by readers is why bring up something that happened so long ago? Not everything in a person's past has to be examined, but some things do not lose their significance with the passage of time.

When we set out to write an obituary of a person in the public eye, we are not insensitive to the feelings of family and friends of the deceased. But an obituary that appears in the news pages is not a tribute, such as the notices published in the News & Observer under the auspices of the classified advertising department, which collects payments for obituaries written by family members or their representatives.

A person chosen for a news obit may have been selected because of a meritorious life of public service. Most often, the subject is simpy someone who holds a public position or is well-known within a community we cover.

The news obit when done well connects the individual's life story to the cultural and social context of the community and the community's history.

Because of her involvement in civic endeavors, Marguerite Lightner may have been chosen even if she had not been Clarence Lightner's widow. But she was and her 1974 arrest was not an insignificant factor in ending the political career of a man who surprised the nation in 1973 by winning a popular election for mayor of a Southern city where blacks were just 16 percent of the registered voters.  This was less than a decade after passage of the 1964 Voting Rights Act and the region was still significantly segregated in jobs, schools and housing.

To this day many in Raleigh believe that the mayor's wife was set up by his political enemies. Such a conspiracy was never proven. Nor did the state prove that Mrs. Lightner committed a crime, according to a Wake County jury.

Despite the not guilty verdict that ended a trial receiving national attention, Clarence Lightner lost his bid for reelection after serving just one term.

 I was here during that period and contributed to the news coverage. It is understandable that many people do not want to be reminded of such an unsettling event. But it is a part of Mrs. Lightner's life story.

Linda Williams

Senior Editor/News