I was just getting cozy with my espresso, skimming the pages of this week’s Xpress, when I almost dropped my cup. Correct me if I have been wrong all this time, but I looked upon Xpress with the same (well, almost) adoration I felt for my Village Voice, so many years ago: a vessel for liberal-minded people.
The reason for my shock was the article by Henry Mitchell, talking about the GOP's goal in Buncombe County (isn't that right there an oxymoron?) "to get conservative Republicans elected to help defeat Obama, and Gov. Perdue in 2012,” and "to reverse the direction of our liberal, social agenda.”
Of course, he has the right to say all that, but I am confused as to why Xpress would give him a platform. Have I had it wrong all these years? Is Xpress heading right on me? Have I been reading just the stuff I could relate to, and ignoring the rest?
I am always so excited to get the paper, for the wonderful reviews of new films, restaurants, businesses and other happenings in this amazing city of Asheville. Please tell me Xpress is not changing its format, and what I consider the hippest paper I’ve seen since I left New York City.
— Abby McDonough
Asheville
Publisher Jeff Fobes responds: Thanks for the adoration. No, Xpress isn’t changing (although we try to always be learning and evolving). There is a key difference, however, between Xpress and other alt weeklies such as the Village Voice: Xpress is a community paper, and as such we welcome the area’s full spectrum of vibrant, jostling and contentious views. And what a great way to drink your espresso — amidst this creative cacophony that so embodies WNC. You might even decide it’s hipper than the Voice!
