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I prefer openness and transparency from public employees under the belief that they should give a truthful picture of what is going on to the people they work for — you and me. It doesn't seem a particularly high standard, although I'm often disappointed.

Some people — mainly politicians and public employees themselves — think that's unwise so I wasn't surprised to read a blog post that criticized UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp, Athletic Director Dick Baddour and football coach Butch Davis for holding a news conference last week to announce an investigation into academic infractions in the football program. The author of the post, Leroy Towns, suggested that the news conference was bungled, the message was wrong and that there was no "real news." He essentially argues that the officials should have kept quiet if they couldn't have spun the message better.

A basic rule of media management and public relations holds that you should call a news conference only if you have real news and information to deliver. If you do call a press conference, make sure the message you want delivered is reinforced by the visuals. UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp and university athletic officials violated both of those rules Thursday with an odd news conference called to discuss academic misconduct in the football program.

Oh, there was clearly real news there, an evaluation made by all of the state's major newspaper editors who published the story at the top of their front pages. Possible academic infractions is a tough one to spin in your favor.

I didn't think much of it until I read that Towns is a faculty member of the journalism school. What a conflict — a journalism professor giving political advice that doesn't enhance the efforts of journalism.

When a program is immersed in controversy and under investigation by a regulatory body, its credibility is being threatened. People who care about that institution have questions that deserve to be addressed. Until last week, neither Baddour nor Davis were doing much to address them. At least Thorp sent a message of responsibility.

Granted, Towns teaches political communication. I think a more powerful message of would have been to push for more openness, transparency and accountability rather than less. As a boss, I want to make sure that the people working for me are dealing with me honestly, that they're on top of the situation and are giving me timely reports. I don't want a news release or the chancellor of the institution hiding behind others.

Update: For an example of what happens when you try to manage the news by press release, go to this story.  By coincidence, A&T released a short statement about its investigation into the death of one of its students. Lots of questions unanswered.