Outside of Montana, it has become increasingly common for political candidates to ignore the press and snub editorial boards. And more of them are finding out that there are fewer consequences for instituting a media blackout and “talking directly to the people.”
White House correspondent Peter A. Brown wrote a recent column for the Wall Street Journal where he recalled sitting in 1984 with then-President Ronald Reagan as he spent hours courting editors of medium-sized newspapers across the country.
“Such use of a candidate’s time – much less that of an incumbent – would be unthinkable these days,” Brown wrote.
Theories abound as to why politicians are sidestepping the press. Trust in the news has bottomed out. It’s too liberal, or conservative. Partisan news sources are friendlier to certain positions (Fox News, MSNBC) so why deal with the rest of the lot?
This makes Montana unique. One would be hard-pressed to find a state where elected officials are more accessible to the media than they are here. During an election year, a more pressing problem for our small staff than pinning down candidates is – logistically – finding time to meet with each of them.
The Beacon doesn’t have an editorial board, nor does it endorse candidates, but many of them still drop by our small office (an old shoe store) on Main Street. Last week, Supreme Court candidate Nels Swandal came by – not for an interview – but to simply talk about his campaign. This week, his opponent Beth Baker did the same.
It’s common for statewide candidates to travel across Montana, stop by the local fairs, march in the parades and visit the offices of small newspapers to share their opinions and make the case for why they are the best candidate in the race.
Still, local reporters are privileged to get as much face time as we do with candidates for offices large and small. Republican Rep. Denny Rehberg and Democratic Sen. Jon Tester have both endured hour-long conversations in our offices to either justify or rail against the stimulus. Gov. Brian Schweitzer visited with his dog in tow to defend his budget policies. We have rarely been told “no comment” without an explanation as to why.
That’s not to say these politicians agree with the stories, or columns, we print. I have been dressed down by staffers in e-mails, on the receiving end of terse phone calls and accused of fueling partisanship. In each case, those complaints had at least some merit. But it has never resulted in a politician boycotting or ignoring our request for interviews or information – and I doubt it ever will.
Meanwhile, in Florida Rick Scott ignored that state’s editorial boards and still won the GOP gubernatorial primary race over Attorney General Bill McCollum. He isn’t expected to meet with them prior to the general election either.
In Nevada, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s director of advertising that he hoped the newspaper would go out of business. His Republican opponent, Sharron Angle, has largely avoided any medium unsympathetic to her views, even fleeing a television reporter attempting to ask her questions.
I suppose Montana’s politicians could do the same. They could certainly wrest control of their message away from the press by just ignoring it, although the ramifications for doing so could be greater in a rural state.
Fortunately, our elected officials and those seeking to replace them continue to be extremely accessible to the media. We may want them to be more specific with their answers or, as is often the case, non-answers. But we’re not chasing after them with pen and notebook in hand either and they deserve some credit for that.