Media Coverage of Elections: Suggestions for Change

"The newspapers should interview each candidate separately and ask the same questions to each one and print the complete answer the candidate gives." MI

"News guidelines need to be established to ensure equal coverage of all candidates. This would not be a limitation to the freedom of press, but insuring the honesty and unbiasedness of the media . . . There is no doubt that the media is a necessary part of national elections, however, the type of information and the way that it is displayed needs to be investigated before it is portrayed." NY

"Magazine, newspaper, and news reporters need to give each candidate the same amount of coverage as not to favor a certain person. This should be enforced by the law. Each candidate should also receive equal air time so they have the same amount of time to explain their platform and plan of action to the voters. Attack-Dog journalism should be abolished completely. Negative points about each candidate should be said but not exaggerated, or be one-sided." KS

f"The media could leave a certain section of the newspaper or magazine to let the candidates express their views. These candidates could then be free to write what they feel concerning the issues that face them while holding public office. The media could also provide a talk show that is an hour in length. They could provide each candidate ten to fifteen minutes to express their ideas and let the people know about changes they want and plans they have for the office they wish to win. . . It would also give people the chance to see if they like the ideas of the candidates and if they really want to vote for them.

The media could sponsor trips for these candidates to speak around the nation at public hearings. The television stations, newspapers, magazines, and radio station could donate a portion of their profits to enable the candidates to speak on certain issues at these hearings . . .

These profits will be going to a good cause. It would help the citizens to choose the best person for an office, which could help better the nation both economically and politically." TX

"The media's polls should not be broadcast or published until all voting polls are closed so as not to discourage registered voters from participating in the political system.

Most important of all the media should discuss more of the candidate's views on the political issues and deal less with their past lives. Although some information on a candidate's personal life is sometimes useful in deciding who to vote for, it should not be the main coverage the media reports on a campaign.

The free media needs to improve their methods in covering candidates. Coverage on candidates, opposing or incumbent, should be neutral. The candidate's view on issues or policy proposals should be discussed in more detail.

The media's effect on voters is tremendous. Therefore the media should use their power of influencing voters in a more positive and objective manner." FL

"I cannot stress enough the word responsibility. This whole situation can be taken under control if everybody plays their part. The media has the responsibility to provide unbiased information to the public. At the same time they have a responsibility to the candidates to treat them fairly and honestly.

The voters and candidates also have responsibilities towards the media. In making a good decision about a candidate, the voter needs to inform himself. . . . The candidates need to be accommodating to the media. They should give them (the media) opportunities for stories on ideas and plans (they) intend to implement while in office." SD

"There are those who would be in favor of not allowing the media to be biased towards one candidate or another. Changing this would mean creating laws to govern amount or content of air time and this would be difficult in itself even if you didn't have to worry about infringing on the freedom of the press. There are others who would contend that the media is fine operating the way it is and if a person wants to learn the whole truth, he should research it himself or read the newspaper, a notably better source of information.

This is perhaps the easiest solution since we already know that the media don't have that much influence on people anyway. This may not be ideal but since we will never be able to get totally unopinionated news, it might be best to stick to what we know and what has worked for the past two hundred years." MD

"If the media were to present all candidates in the same way, the voter would get a better idea of who the best person is. If every candidate was to get an equal amount of time or space and an impartial party was to discuss the issues and how the candidate stood on each one, then the public might be better equipped with proper information." CA

(Let's hear it for charts & questionnaires!--Editor)

"In an open forum, the public can ask the candidates direct questions and get the answers they need.

Also, many people expressed a wish for more debates on direct issues. Here the candidates talk about a few limited issues and the people get an idea of where each candidate stands.

The third commonly expressed idea is an open column where a question is asked and the candidates can write in of their own free will on the issue. This is another kind of debating.

The last idea is to do more personal interviews on the kind of person the politician is. In these interviews the people wish to gain direct answers to their questions.

Each of these ideas can prevent favoritism by the media and give every candidate the opportunity to receive the attention they require." IL

". . . if the media would report the platforms of the candidates (so) that the public could make a more educated decision at the polls; with a more educated vote, the better candidate, not the more photogenic or provocative candidate, would be elected and the democracy of the United States of Am erica would be used more efficiently." OK

"A comparison of ideas should be made by setting aside a page in the newspapers with the issues and the candidates' stands presented side by side." AR

"First (the media) can stop being biased and treat all candidates honestly. Second, they should do away with day-to-day polls. Why not have coverage of the November election after all the polls close? And third, the media networks should have a governing committee to read the articles or stories for television and check for accuracy. " (Editor's note: What about bias of the 'committee'?) SD

". . . have a spotlight segment for each candidate. Each of these segments should be the same length, and occur at the same time of day. Each candidate should be able to send his message across however he wants, but concentrating on himself, not his opponent." IL

"The press can give the candidates a column in the newspaper during the election year to present their views and their plans. Radio and television can sponsor a series of presentations of the candidates' personal and political background, that include both the positive and the negative. They can invite the candidates to discuss their stand on issues that affect the country.

Through this presentation, the public will be informed on what the candidates have done and on what they plan to do to improve the economic and social conditions of the nation." CA

"(What) the media companies should try to do is to come up with a list of all the candidates for an office and write down exactly what each candidate is for and against. Then take this information and put it into a chart to show the similarities and differences between the candidates and what each candidate stands for. This information can then be used by the voter to make a very informed decision who to vote for. Likewise a chart about the histories and backgrounds of the candidates should be made available." WI

"So what should the media do? The easiest solution is to keep coverage simple. Tell the public the names of all candidates, the basic positions of all of them, and reviews of their professional-not-private careers. During the campaign, keep up with the candidates and report about their stump speeches. Poll no more than once per week, to reduce confusion and excess. Sponsor debates between candidates at all levels and allow them to state their points of view. . . .

In this way, a much-maligned political process can be improved; the tone of campaigns can be lifted." AR

"It would be nice to have the media showcase a comparison of the candidates' stands on issues. . . We need this sort of thing for every political office also. The country isn't only run by the President. . . " MN

"I believe the media should present a nonbiased view of the candidates, presenting them with equal coverage time and covering the same topics. The media should not make their own predictions about the winners or losers and they should not conduct polls to get the opinion of a small portion of voters.

The media should not do anything that would influence, positively or negatively, the decisions of the American voters. To keep the media from interfering, I think there should be a set of voluntary guidelines stating what they should and shouldn't say or do. I believe the media should be expected to follow these guidelines even though they are voluntary. If they didn't, they would be thought of as muck-rakers, which would keep them from interfering in national elections." NY