No Endorsements !

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Sunday October 17, 2004

Op Ed: Columnists
Core newspaper beliefs clash this political year -- Robert Brincefield
In preparing for this column I went back and re-read the columns I had written on the subject in '92, '96 and 2000. In all three of the years mentioned I offered my views on why newspapers make political endorsements. It is more than a tradition with me. I believe one of the fundamental responsibilities of a newspaper is to stimulate thought, discussion and in turn, action with their readers.

A second core belief I have is that this is the community's newspaper. I have worked for three different people who have owned the subscription lists, bricks and mortar, property, presses and the computers -- Craig Woodson, James B. Boone and Jeremy Halbreich. In my view, their names may have appeared on the ownership statements published each year, but they are merely custodians of the community's franchise. All three of them have placed authority and responsibility for the content, direction and management of the newspaper at the discretion of local people on the ground. It was their belief and mine that with this management model the wishes and the will of the community would find their way onto the pages of the daily newspaper.
Decisions on policy become extremely difficult when one finds that two of their core beliefs end up in direct conflict. That is my current dilemma.
Endorsements, in a sense, offer a point of departure, a place for readers to review their thinking on a candidate by evaluating the case made in the endorsement. They are not an attempt to tell people how to vote, nor necessarily to change voters' minds. Endorsements are recommendations based on experience, qualifications and the positions of the candidates on important issues. Readers may agree or disagree that the rationale for the endorsement is valid, but it causes them to consider the information and make their own judgment and to vote accordingly. If the endorsing process accomplishes that task, in my mind they have served a useful purpose.
It has never been easy to make political endorsements on the one hand, and to be perceived as objective, fair and unbiased by the public, on the other. We have worked very hard in the last eight years to be an independent newspaper, and to make political recommendations based on the merits of the individual and not on their political party affiliation. Yet there are still many who feel that the newspaper is biased and favors one party over the other. At the national media level the perception the public holds for the news industry is lower today than at any time in the 42 years I have been associated with it. As multiple ownership of broadcast and newspaper companies has grown over the past several decades, so has the percentage of the public that believe the media has swapped the "Five W's" (who, what, where, when and why) for the two "R's," ratings and readers. The irony in this view with respect to endorsing candidates is you do not win either with the process. You almost always anger as many people as you please.
Since the last election, and really before it, we have listened with particular interest to our readers about what they think of the newspaper endorsing candidates. Away from the passion of a political campaign we believed we could get a more objective view. The poll was very informal and not statistically valid, but it did suggest that a growing number of readers believe that the newspaper should not be involved with endorsing one candidate over another in elections. Some felt that a five or six-person editorial board is not representative of the community and has too much power or influence. At the other end of the spectrum, there is the camp that believes the newspaper board is irrelevant and the public does not care about its opinions. The common thread between both sides is the belief that the newspaper should provide the information and background on the candidates and then let the readers make up their own mind.
In the newspaper this morning is a 12-page special section, "2004 Brown County Voters Guide." In it readers will find a sample ballot and informational articles on each of the candidates in contested local and regional races, plus the two leading presidential nominees. Early voting begins Monday and we wanted to publish the information in time for all voters to review it before going to the polls. As Bill Crist wrote last week, we need informed voters making choices, not just large numbers of them. In the remaining two weeks leading up to Nov. 2 we continue to report on the candidates when they campaign in the area. However, readers will not find any political endorsements.
Bob Brincefield is the Publisher of the Brownwood Bulletin. His column is featured every Sunday on the Viewpoint page. Email bob.brincefield@brownwoodbulletin.com.

source: http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2004/10/17/op_ed/columnists/opinion08.txt