From the News Observer: Lobbying by any sensible definition occurs when someone is paid by a special interest to advocate public policy. It is an activity that certainly has its place. But the public should and does have a stake when hired public-relations guns roam Jones Street in a bid to shape laws and policies. That starts with knowing which lobbyist is on whose payroll, and continues with disclosure of favors rendered. The aim of lobbyist registration isn't to limit the activity, but to keep the scorecard so that the public, and legislators for that matter, can identify the players and gauge their influence. Geddings, Middleton and Norris -- who also was the unpaid political director for House Speaker Jim Black -- need to be held to that standard if their actions are judged to have crossed the advocacy line.