Earlier this week the Argus Leader published an opinion piece from South Dakota Democrat Party Chair Ann Tornberg. In this opinion piece Tornberg calls out the media, including the Argus Leader, for not covering the Democrat candidates in attendance at DakotaFest. This is a time where I happen to agree with the SDDP chair.
I had planned on attending DakotaFest again this year. But after DakotaFest organizers decided there wouldn’t be any debates or candidate forums I figured there was no sense in driving all the way to Mitchell for nothing. The decision by DakotaFest to abstain from any political debates is odd and I likely won’t return to another DakotaFest until they bring the debates back.
DakotaFest did give the Democrat contenders Paula Hawks for US House and Jay Williams for US Senate a chance to speak. But that is not the same as getting on the same stage as the incumbents Kristi Noem and John Thune. I believe any conscientious media organization covering politics at DakotaFest would have covered all four candidates. But that isn’t what happened. According to Tornberg the media dissipated after the Republican incumbents had said there piece, leaving a lack of media coverage for the Democrat candidates.
I’m not bringing this up to support either of the Democrat candidates. Rather I’m bringing this up to agree with Tornberg that media organizations should be held accountable for their lack of coverage for non-incumbent (or non-interesting) candidates in South Dakota. Personally I believe all media organizations should feel morally compelled to provide as much information to voters about all candidates.
Here is what Tornberg says in her opinion piece, and I think she says it well:
South Dakotans should not only hold our elected officials accountable, but we should also hold our media and community event organizers accountable, too. Voters depend on the media to make sure candidates from both parties receive fair coverage during an election, just as they depend on community event organizers to allow candidates from both parties to speak. After hearing Republican and Democratic candidates make their case about why they are the best choice to serve them, voters can make an informed decision in the voting booth. When the media and event organizers do not give each side an equal opportunity to make their case, they neglect a very important part of their role in the community – and deny voters the chance to make an informed decision when they vote.
This doesn’t mean I am saying media organizations have to be forced to give equal time or print space to each candidate. But I think these organizations should at least be covering all candidates that show up to speak at events such as DakotaFest. Failing to do so will further erode the already faltering trust people have with traditional media organizations.
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