A Letter from the Editor

0 Comments | Insight on the News, Nov 6, 2000 | by Paul M. Rodriguez

Dear Readers,

Go figure: George W. Bush isn't so bad after all. At least that's the reading lately by the big boys and girls in the big media markets. Heck, maybe the Texan ain't so dumb either; he's shining mighty bright compared to Al Gore, who just can't seem to project his sensitive inner self.

What brings this to mind is prejudice -- the type practiced by the press and especially by the media mavens in Washington. Judging from the internal poll numbers glossed over by these newsies, people actually seem to like young Bush and they just don't like Gore. After months of trying to dissuade the American public to the contrary, the press reluctantly is starting to pay some attention to what the people are saying.

What's surprising about all this is that the general press still doesn't get the message: It's the news, stupid! People want the news delivered straight, and they want to know about the issues as well as the character of the candidate.

Consider this: Each major media outfit, often in collusion with another giant daily or weekly, touts its own polling statistics. And each can be counted on to pick portions of its sample polling numbers subliminally to carry management's political leaning. How else to judge the disparate "conclusions" headlined daily? The Washington Post, et al., say Gore's on top, while the Wall Street Journal, et al., say Bush is, and a GOP tally has its boy on top while the Democrats tout their man. It's all rather confusing and voters apparently (at last) are getting fed up with the obfuscation.

Rather than skew or spin the numbers, the press simply needs to quench the public's thirst for news. Lead with whatever poll numbers one has commissioned but at least be journalistically honest and mention the others, too. Leave the spin to the politicians, we say.

Until next week then, God bless.

Paul M. Rodriguez Managing Editor