Page 10
THE BATTALION
THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 1980
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Media and politics
Local press says candidate coverage
thorough
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By LYNN BLANCO
Battalion Staff
“We’re here 1 , Mike, for the start of
tonight’s contest. Both sides are real
ly outstanding. What do you think
their chances are?”
“Well, Howard, the challenger is
really young and not well known, so
' he may have a disadvantage at the
outset. On the other hand, his oppo
nent is a seasoned competitor. He’ll
have the deBnite advantage of know
ing how to deal with the pressure
situations that come up. But I think
we have to wait and see what the
play-by-play action in this arena will
really be. ”
This is not the start of an athletic
competition, but of a very competi
tive political contest.
“The contest may still resemble a
gigantic sporting event, with its win
ners and losers and locker-room in
terviews,” a March 24 Newsweek
article said. “But... the election cov
erage appears at once more res
trained and more responsible than in
the past.”
The press during the 1976 pres
idential election was criticized for
not having noticed the significance of
Jimmy Carter and the Iowa cau
cuses. This January, jounalists
nationwide were determined to im
prove their coverage of the candi
dates.
“We’re like any other institution,”
Lou Cannon, Washington Post
Western bureau chief, told News
week. “We re not going to make the
same mistakes we made last time.
We’re going to make whole new mis
takes.”
The article also stated, “In 1980,
by all signs, the media will play a
greater role in the presidential cam
paign than ever before.”
Local news directors and editors
agree.
Scott DeLucia, news director for
KBTX-TV (Channel 3) in Bryan, said
the media are more responsible now
than in the past.
“In the past, we covered a news
conference just because it was a news
“We’re like any other institu
tion, ” Lou Cannon, Washington
Post Western bureau chief, told
Newsweek. “We’re not going to
make the same mistakes we
made last time. We’re going to
make whole new mistakes. ”
conference,” he said. “Now we’re
going to look at it from the point of
view of newsworthiness.”
Robert Fleischer, managing edi
tor of the Eagle, agreed. “You are
constantly weighing news values in
our profession,” he said. “You can’t
draw a conclusion ahead of time that
an event is not going to be worth
covering. You have to cover it just in
case there is something important
said.”
DeLucia said, “It’s easy to get into
a news conference situation and re-
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ATTE
May and August Graduates!
Don’t forget the Former Students’ Senior Induction
Banquets April 14 & 15 at 6:30 p.m. at the Brazos
Center! The banquet is free but you must pick up a
ticket to attend. Tickets will be available the week of
April 7-11 from 8-5 in the lobby of the Forsyth Alumni
Center. Although there will be an increased capacity of
1000 per evening be sure to get your ticket early!
Class Agents will be elected at the banquets so make
plans to attend!!!
port something just because there is
a news conference.”
“As the election runs down, we’ll
be taking a little different posture.
Unless he (Caperton) comes up with
anything ‘earth-shattering,’ the exp
osure on him will be diminished.
Just because he calls a press confer
ence, it doesn’t mean he’ll get a mi
nute or a half a minute spot. ”
This problem occurs because of
different candidates’ campaign
strategies, he said.
“The Moore-Caperton campaign
is an unusual race. You have one guy
that has been in office better than 30
years. If you think about it, he’s been
in office almost longer than Caperton
has been alive.
“You have two different campaign
battle plans in this election,” De
Lucia said.
“Moore has been friends with
everyone. His time is better spent
sitting across a table from his cronies,
and talking about what’s going on.
He isn’t very comfortable with news
conferences and doesn’t feel it’s his
best way to campaign.”
Caperton, on the other hand,
doesn’t have a power base like
Moore’s, he said.
“He has to go on a name-
identification and face-identification
basis and make himself as visual as
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“I don’t think you should en
dorse someone, ” DeLucia said.
“I’m tying myself to Joe Blow
when I endorse him. And if he’s
a crook, then I’ll be linked to a
crook” — Scott DeLucia, news
director for KBTX-TV.
Unite
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possible. He (Caperton) is using ev
ery means he can to make contact
with the masses.”
Endorsing candidates is another
problem for the media.
The editorial policy at The Eagle
and KBTX is not to endorse any can
didates.
“It is incorrect to endorse one can
didate over another,” Fleischer said.
“I don’t think you should endorse
someone,” DeLucia said. “I’m tying
myself to Joe Blow when I endorse
him. And if he’s a crook, then I’ll be
linked to a crook. ”
Licensing is a problem television
and radio share.
DeLucia said television has more
restrictions than newspapers be
cause of licensing by the federal gov
ernment. Broadcast media are re
quired by law to give equal oppor
tunity to each candidate and must
sell political advertising at the lowest
rate on their advertising cards.
Leanne Wakefield, news director
for WTAW radio, said voter apathy is
a problem.
One solution is to make the public
more aware of the candidates and
their issues. Back-to-back interviews
with the candidates will help, she
said.
“I want the public to be aware of
the candidates — what they want for
the city.
try to be an assertive news
director to try and inform the public
in an unbiased report. I try, when
reporting the news, to look at a situa
tion and judge it from the standpoint
of newsworthiness. ”
Media’s responsibility to the pub
lic lies in good reporting and value
judgments made daily, Fleischer
said. “All we can do for the candi
dates and the electorial process is to
be informative by printing facts in
the most readable fashion.
“Our purpose is to see to it people
are fully informed about the issues
and how each candidate sees the
issues,” he said.
DeLucia agrees: “I want the peo
ple to be smart electors. Only 23
percent out to vote who are reg
istered (in Bryan-College Station)
bothers me.” People need to be
smart enough to know how to vote
and make their own decisions about a
candidate.
Unite!
ASHIN
“However, we as journalists
pay the price of getting into tkift
erage race — whether it’s go»ii
bad,” he said. “Nationally, tlienit
top-notched person on even %(fret Con
date in the presidential race %fense bud
This could be over-exposure, H'gher than
one way to ensure knowledge®, even t
awareness of the candidates, eeils a bala
“The candidates are really; lending pr<
under the scrutiny of nafcOnly one
camera coverage. Scrutiny l" imgress hi
works and TV gives us the cha:; »nate comn
break through the facade of fiy night to
cians.” Ion defer
Fleischer said that in the ensie vote afte
media can only inform the pu! iguments a!
certain aspects of the electoralijidtoashou'
cess. Is membe
“There is a tremendous respL
.11 i i ... ..^cine comm
bility to tell people when to votf j,
c i i 1.. .-II ,1 ake enoug
dnesday
Se increas
Dope dog sniffs stopped by suit
United Press International
HOUSTON — The American
Civil Liberties Union on behalf of
three Baytown students has filed a
federal lawsuit to stop the Goose
Creek Independent School District
from loosing dogs in the halls to sniff
for drugs.
The lawsuit alleges two incidents
when the dogs endangered students
and violated their privacy rights in
Baytown Sterling High School. No
where, but we can only telM i , .
certain amount of times and®? 6 ca e k
they have to decide if they sl»
vote.’
Sen. Erm
ho traditioi
ilitary spe:
drugs were found in either ind™
ACLU lawyer Val Perkins saidf
Robbie Horton, 18, Heatheri
ton, 15, and Sandra Sanchez, I
in the suit that the dogs are all
to run free inside the school m
search automobiles, property!
students. I
“These dogs are often allovtfi^ASHINi
roam unleashed through the h4p et: cu ttin
the school, constituting a potf| Use subco
danger of attack,” the suit said[ en< l ^20 r
|gy reseai
United
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