Greg Dority for Lieutenant Governor
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CHARLOTTE MEDIA STEPS UP ATTACK AGAINST DORITY
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER ATTEMPTS TO BOOST FADING PITTENGER CAMPAIGN WITH DISTORTION-FILLED STORY
On April 2nd, the Charlotte Observer showed its true colors by running a personally insulting attack on GOP lieutenant governor candidate Greg Dority in an apparent effort to boost the sagging campaign of its hometown favorite, State Senator Bob Pittenger (currently running second in the polls.) Writer David Ingram made great effort to distort Mr. Dority's professional reputation and personal tragedy by deliberately spinning facts into unflattering half-truths.
"The nature of my profession, personal security, is built on a foundation of our client's trust in us to protect confidential information and sensitive situations", Mr. Dority said. "I patiently tried to explain this over the course of several conversations with this reporter, and, after reading the resulting story, it only reinforces my position of not putting sensitive information into irresponsible hands."
"Now, I am forced to defend my family and myself with facts about our personal lives and professionally by the release of information with the permission and direct statements of some of our clients", explains Dority. "As distasteful and unnecessary as this is to me professionally, the attack by the Charlotte Observer requires real facts to clarify the results of their biased slant."
See for yourself:
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER:
"Greg Dority describes himself as a security consultant, an experience he says has prepared him to be North Carolina's next lieutenant governor. But he won't say much about what exactly he does."
"Dority declined to describe the size of the company or to make other employees available for interviews. The company does not have a Web site, and public records give little information about it."
FACT:
Mr. Dority took great pains to inform Mr. Ingram that his business was Security and that Mr. Dority's firm, Sterling Security, closely guards the confidentiality of its clients.
Sterling Security and Mr. Dority utilize a range of consultants and operatives throughout Europe and coordinate this manpower and their services to fit the specific needs of its clients. The identities of security resources are closely guarded to minimize risk to both the clients and their protectors.
"I have known and worked with Greg Dority for almost ten years. I have assisted Sterling Security in a range of security projects over that time, ranging from personal protection services to situational analysis to strategic implementation. In my professional opinion, he is one of the best."
-Zeljko Bozic, former Yugoslav National Army Special Forces, Banja Luka, Bosnia-Herzegovina
"Sterling Security has been an invaluable asset to me and our investment partnership in the Balkans. We have put our safety in their capable hands and the results have been outstanding."
-Jack Aden, Rawles-Aden Lumber, Petersburg, Virginia
"Greg Dority has given us a unique perspective on how to operate safely in Bosnia. Sterling Security is a name we can count on."
-David Lewin, Medinbrand Associates, London, England
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER:
Noted British author and journalist Simon Winchester met Dority in the 1990s while in the Balkans.
In his book "The Fracture Zone," he described Dority as "one of those Walter Mittyish characters" -- meaning that he thought Dority exaggerated his accomplishments and importance.
"He gave the impression, as I am sure he half-intended, that he was some kind of American spy -- which, when I compared him with the handful of real spies I knew, he almost certainly was not -- or else was an extremely inept one," Winchester wrote.
FACT:
At the time Mr. Winchester interviewed Dority, he was involved in protecting a Canadian contractor in Albania, Mr. Shaun Going, and as a security professional, could not risk giving the author any definitive information.
"Greg Dority is a good friend to have in times of trouble. I can say with little hesitation that Greg's deliberate discretion with Mr. Winchester might be construed incorrectly by someone who doesn't know the facts, but it probably helped save my life later."
-Shaun Going
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER:
"He said he was in Kosovo during NATO's bombing of the country in 1999."
FACT:
Travel documents and international sources can attest to Greg Dority's presence in Kosovo in 1998 and 1999. Mr. Ingram ignores this, preferring to cast aspersions on this fact by implying it is only a claim.
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER:
"He lives with his parents. He lost his home in Hurricane Isabel in 2003, he said."
FACT:
Mr. Ingram has callously used Greg's personal tragedy and dedication to his family in a further attempt to distort the facts.
2003 was a devastating year for Greg Dority.
- Jayne, his beloved wife and mother to their daughter Catie, was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
- Greg's father, Tom Dority suffered a debilitating stroke.
- Greg and Jayne's home was completely destroyed by Hurricane Isabel in September
- After the destruction of their home, due to Jayne's grave condition, she was immediately moved to Greg's parents' home nearby where she continued her agonizing battle with cancer until her death the subsequent January.
After Jayne's death, Greg and his mother Joyce have devoted themselves to raising Catie without her mother and caring for Greg's father Tom. Despite the hardship and tragedy visited on them, the strength and closeness of their family sustains them daily.
"I'm a pretty tough guy and I can take the slings and arrows of a campaign," says Dority. "But I have to draw the line when someone unnecessarily uses slights against my family in an effort to promote another candidate against me. The Charlotte Observer should be ashamed of this disgraceful treatment. It's an insult to professional journalism."