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The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va., Marvin Lake column: Many agree with change in endorsement policy(Virginian-Pilot, The (Norfolk, VA) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Oct. 28--WHEN THE Virginian-Pilot announced Tuesday in an editorial that it would stop endorsing presidential candidates, I thought my day would be extra busy. I arrived at the office primed for a ringing phone, numerous e-mails, even a few faxes. I envisioned a spirited discussion, with readers reacting strongly, pro and con, one side accusing the paper of abdicating its "responsibility"; the other, declaring "It's about time!" Guess what? It didn't happen. I didn't get a single phone call about the announcement. Nary an e-mail. Some readers -- fewer than 30 as I wrote this Thursday -- did post online responses to the editorial. They ran the gamut from the expected "about time" to an assessment that The Pilot's decision reflected "a want of intestinal fortitude, not an absence of bias." Asked "Gabrielle L." of Temperanceville, with a wink, I suspect: "How will I know who to vote for in a presidential election if The Pilot doesn't tell me which way to vote?" Most telling were the results of our online poll ("Do you agree with The Virginian-Pilot's decision to quit endorsing presidential candidates?"): As of Thursday morning, a whopping 87.86 percent of 2,479 respondents had answered "Yes," compared to 11.13 percent saying "No," with 1.01 percent "Undecided." What do these results -- albeit unscientific -- signify? That politicians care more about newspaper endorsements than do regular readers? Or do they point (perish the thought) to the growing insignificance of newspapers, as two newsroom editors wondered privately. This is in an era when citizens are increasingly turning to the Internet, talk radio and 24-hour news channels for political news and opinion. "It's never been easier for Americans to get the scoop on presidential contenders and to draw their own conclusions," The Pilot's editorial said. The editorial board's rationale: Because it doesn't cover presidential candidates and lacks the access to them that it has for local and state candidates, any presidential endorsement lacks validity (my words). So The Pilot, whose news pages have increasingly emphasized local news, will now make endorsements only in state and local races. The Roanoke Times and the News & Record in Greensboro, N.C. -- like The Pilot, owned by Landmark Communications -- will follow suit. Other newspapers will take a different tack. The Richmond Times-Dispatch, for instance, plans to continue presidential endorsements, as do many papers. Studies have shown that "the bigger the race, the less important and the less influential the endorsement is," said Tom Rosenstiel, director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism. Still, it's not known how many of the nation's daily papers decline to make presidential endorsements, according to media researchers. My hunch is that most still do. By ending those endorsements, the paper will, doubtless, duck a lot of controversy. As Henry McNulty, a former president of the Organization of News Ombudsmen, put it, if readers like an endorsed candidate, "the newspaper is wise and thoughtful; if you dislike a candidate, the newspaper is a biased bunch of know-nothings." In the latter case, there are usually threats or actual cancellations of subscriptions. So, besides the credibility issue, there could also be a bottom-line concern. "The more neutral you are, the less chance to offend," one online poster wrote. Since becoming public editor in 1999, I can recall only three readers, all elderly women, calling to ask when The Pilot would endorse a presidential candidate, so they would know for whom to vote. They hadn't followed the campaign. Personally, I'm going to miss our presidential endorsements. The anticipation. The discussions by the editorial board, which includes the publisher. The "selling" of the endorsee's qualities. And, finally, awaiting readers' reactions. It's stimulating, very old school, in the tradition. But that's more about me and my job than about truly serving readers. "Presidential elections are not our beat," The Pilot editorial stressed. "Our time is best spent on local and state problems, or those national ones that bear directly on us." It's hard to argue with such logic. Marvin Lake is The Pilot's public editor. Reach him at (757) 446-2475 or at [email protected]. To see more of the The Virginian-Pilot, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.pilotonline.com. Copyright (c) 2007, The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |