It happens every election year.
A new candidate will send us a press release and a few days later call to ask why we haven't "printed it" yet.
I'm always a bit surprised by these candidates, many of who are sometimes running for high statewide offices.
They don't seem to understand how a newspaper works to cover politics.
Newspapers (real ones anyway) do not print political press releases word for word. If we did, we wouldn't need reporters. We'd need transcribers. Still, many expect newspapers to print their "views" because they people have a right to know.
They sometimes come to understand this is the case with our newspaper because other mostly smaller-town weekly papers do exactly what we don't. They print the press releases, word for word.
We're happy to review and read press releases as a starting point to what may or may not be a story about the candidate and their election. But many of these press releases are fraught with hyperbole and opinion and what have come to be known as "talking points."
"Talking points" are ways of saying things and raising issues that one's political party has determined will be a good way to "stay on message," i.e. to not answer questions directly or answer questions that veers from these talking points.
There are very few press releases that become stories. That's because we believe our readers and our reporters working with our readers are better able to set the agenda, define the issues than the political party handlers.
Just about the time the uninitiated candidates figure out you're not going to print their press releases verbatim in the news columns, they go for the opinion page. After all, they have their opinions and it's the newspaper's duty to print them.
Actually, we usually do not print their opinions on the opinion page either, at least not during the heat of an election. For one thing, we feel they have access to the media and many avenues to get their views across through regular election coverage.
They will at some point likely be interviewed by a reporter. They'll be at a debate or forum where their views will be covered.
Most of the opinion columns I am sent by political candidates of all stripes are basic talking points. They offer very little new information or details on a policy position.
There will be exceptions as always. If a candidate is somehow directly criticized by name by our own editorial or those by others, they will get a chance to respond in a similar number of words.
If they have greater knowledge on a topic of particular importance to our readers, they will be given a chance to write a longer essay on that topic.
All in all, our job is to ask questions of our elected leaders and those running for office, not just let them repeat talking points again and again.
We keep our readers in mind when we pursue these questions. What would readers want to know about this candidate's position?
But, no, we don't republish press releases. That's not what "Free Press" refers to.
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