As the summer heat dwindles, the campaigns are heating up.
With the primary over and the filing period for other offices closed, it’s time to make clear our policies for coverage of the November elections.
I’ve used this space previously to discuss how I have a love-hate relationship with elections.
Love’em because it’s exciting to watch as people from all walks of life throw their hats in the ring for public office. And it’s exhilarating, and sometimes concerning, to consider a future in our community under the guidance of some of these candidates.
Hate’em because it can be a challenge to provide balanced coverage of these candidates. Part of that challenge involves that some candidates already hold public positions and are making the news because of those positions.
Also among our struggles is to provide information prior to the election about our local candidates and their views of issues pertinent to the office they are seeking.
This year, we will attempt to provide information prior to the mail ballots that will be sent to many rural Koochiching County voters.
We will send questionnaires to local candidates and publish their responses verbatim — as they were provided to The Journal. We will set a word limit for these responses and the only changes we will make will be to correct spelling errors. It’s a chance for our readers to see how these candidates view themselves and the issues involved in the office they are seeking.
We won’t ask unchallenged candidates for that information. Instead, we will save space for the candidates who will face races in the general election.
As in the past, we will not cover fundraisers for candidates. However, we will seek interview opportunities when state and federal candidates come to Borderland.
Candidates will not be allowed to submit letters to the editor, unless they are in direct response to a letter or an editorial by this newspaper. Use of columns by candidates will be limited and decided by staff on a case-by-case basis. Candidates, unlike other people, have other avenues to get their message out.
We won’t accept letters to the editor about the election in the final week before the election. And as the November election nears, we will make clear the deadline for those letters. Prior to that period, letters must follow our policies, including using less than 500 words to express your opinion. In addition, websites and other campaign contact information will not be included in letters. That information can be obtained in other forums.
During the course of the final days before the election, we’ll open up this space for more letters, if needed, but depending upon how many we receive, we may limit letters of support for any one candidate.
As always, letters must not be libelous in nature or in poor taste. We will give preference to local letters, letters from others in Minnesota, and then to letters from outside our area. We will reject letters that appear to be written in an orchestrated campaign.
Letters from the same writer will not be published within two weeks of each other.
The Journal’s Opinion page should be viewed as a place for lively discussion and debate. We expect it will be just that as the election draws near.
