Where does the media fit into political process?

Frontiersman editorial board

More and more, the role of the press in our communities, and especially in politics, becomes a topic of debate, and the definition of that role seems to be more difficult to define each year.

In local politics this year, the media have become more than simple observers of, and reporters upon, campaign races. In a few instances, the media have become entangled in the races. One of the candidates for governor did battle with a local radio station over his failure to participate in their candidates forum. That same candidate is now battling with an Alaska newspaper over what he sees as biased coverage and favoritism.

There is certainly room for interpretation in the debate over media coverage of political races and politics in general. Some newspapers and other media endorse political candidates and others, like the Frontiersman, do not. It is not a question of right and wrong, but rather one of philosophy.

Those who endorse political candidates may argue that part of their responsibility to their community is to help voters make the "correct" choice. Those who do not endorse candidates may counter that their responsibility is to simply provide a balance of information to voters and allow the voters to make their own determination about which candidate is the 'right' one.

As long as both kinds of newspapers are honest and consistent about the approach they take, both ways can serve readers. It is when the media attempt to serve a hidden agenda that the public is poorly served.

There are other difficult decisions the media must make. During campaign seasons all newspapers are flooded with letters supporting or not supporting candidates. Many candidates see this as an opportunity to get some exposure, and they ask friends and others who support them to write letters.

At the Frontiersman we see that as a healthy part of the election process, as long as the letters remain within some simple guidelines. We do not print personal attacks. We ask people who are directly involved with the campaign to refrain from taking part in these letter blitzes -- though it is sometimes difficult to know who all of those people are. And, as is always the case, we ask the letter writers to identify themselves.

We also enforce a cutoff for campaign letters -- which was this past Sunday for the Oct. 1 local elections and will be Oct. 27 for the Nov. 7 primary.

The Frontiersman supports a healthy political process, but not any one candidate. We appreciate the clean races all the candidates have run, and we encourage the voters to contribute to the process by making the choice that makes the most sense to them.