News & Record reprints a Wilson Times editorial slamming state Sen. Trudy Wade’s modification to a House bill that would classify paper carriers as employees, requiring news organizations to requiring newspapers to workers’ comp and unemployment insurance and collect payroll taxes for the federal and state government:

Wade isn’t simply uninformed or misguided on newspaper carriers’ job description. She’s a shrewd politician with an ax to grind against the free and independent press. For several years, she’s spearheaded bills to take public notices out of newspapers and allow city and county governments to hide them on little-used websites.

If Wade’s amendment is signed into law, papers will be forced to consider changes to home delivery service. Dozens of contract carriers could be replaced with a handful of employees, meaning routes would be combined and fewer folks would get their paper on time. Subscription rates may increase as newspapers struggle to absorb the government mandate’s cost.

The editorial describes paper carriers as a “textbook example of independent contractors,” as well as “an ideal arrangement for retirees, students and shift workers who want to earn extra income.” Seems unusual for a newspaper to take a stand against benefits for workers, but when it’s their business under the gun, the point of view shifts. Still, I’ll be fair to the Wilson Times— I’m not familiar with its politics, but looking at its editorial page, they appear to have a more conservative point of view than, say the N&R.