Campaigning and coverage: finding balance

Lou Marzeles
Editor and Publisher

     “So is The Sentinel going to endorse candidates?”
     That was a question raised Friday morning at Java Talk, and it was the most recent of several occasions on which the matter was raised. The response was, as it has been, no.
     Actually, it was useful to know that for most people, it remained unclear which candidates, if any, might be favored by this newspaper. A few people have commented (strongly) to us that a clear bias has been apparent in these pages. That is disappointing, since as has been stated previously, we are committed to an even-handed coverage of candidates. Sometimes that commitment is not readily apparent, to be sure. While staff may (and do) have strong feelings about some candidates, it remains a goal to present news in a balanced manner. People in a small town want to feel proud of their institutions, including their newspaper. It’s hard to feel that way if it seems the candidate you favor is being slighted in your local media. If it worked for all in a small town for a paper to favor one candidate over another, the paper might as well come out and endorse them. This one won’t.
     It will be nice when issues dominating the news don’t have to do with political campaigning, at least for another couple of years. Elections seem to bring the best and worst in some people.
     We can safely say that some races at least have been relatively free of personal attack. Darlene Johnson arrived at last Friday’s Java Talk just as it ended, saying she was delayed, and for another few minutes we stood together in Sodbuster’s with Victoria Allen, who had been at the meeting, chatting about various matters. It was remarkably refreshing to see two opponents in the middle of a very close campaign engaging comfortably in casual conversation with each other.
     Likewise, from all appearances PUD commissioner candidates Ray Mosbrucker and Doug Miller have run clean campaigns, and each has represented himself with decorum and knowledeability. Ray sat right in front of Doug at his appearance at the Chamber of Commerce luncheon Monday, and there was no sense of tension between them.
     Congratulations to all the candidates. It takes courage just to run.