Column:
Endorsements don’t mean much
Published Feb. 5, 2008
As a soon-to-be graduate of the finest journalism school in the world (or so I’ve been told), one thing engrained in my head is how journalists are supposed to be unbiased and report the news — not make the news. Unless you are given a column in The Maneater, then you can do whatever you want.
Unfortunately, I’ve also been taught that the world, believe it or not, is not a perfect place. And because the world is inherently flawed, so is the fine profession of journalism — shocking, I know. These flaws lead me to discuss my problems with media endorsements of politicians.
Yes, this has been going on for some time, but that doesn’t make it any less annoying or inappropriate. And what’s even more frustrating is when the candidates use this as leverage in campaigning and/or debates. In Wednesday’s Republican debate in California, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., had a bit of a squabble over endorsements. Big Mac pointed out that both of Romney’s “home town papers,” The Boston Globe and the Waltham Daily News Tribune, endorsed him. He also promised Mitt that The Arizona Republic would endorse him, which it did. Whoopee! Some editors in Massachusetts and Arizona got together and said they liked McCain. Let’s talk about it in a national debate because I, too, love wasting time on inconsequential matters.
I could endorse Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, right now but a) I’m mentally stable and b) do you need another reason?
In fact, Paul has only been endorsed by one paper: The Muslim Observer. Does this mean that all the reporters, editors, secretaries and marketing staff of this paper think he’ll lead the U.S. better than anyone else? I sure hope not. And I’m probably right, because I can write that I am right and you’ll read it. Does this mean that no one else will vote for him in the primaries? Probably not. Plus, doesn’t the real endorsement come from the voters during the primaries? The New York Times can love Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., all they want, but what does that mean if, come Super Tuesday, no one else does?
While I’m on the subject of The New York Times, I’ve heard people talk about how the paper ruined former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s campaign with its scathing remarks. I’m not saying he didn’t deserve it, but I’m also not saying that he did. I’m not an advocate of “un-free” speech, but why should a newspaper, or any other media outlet, be able to place candidates on pedestals or knock them off? That’s against everything we’ve ever learned in the J-School, or in life for that matter.
Personally, I care about endorsements from other politicians more than from other papers. The Kennedy family likes Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., likes McCain. Former President Bill Clinton likes Hillary Clinton — sometimes. These are the endorsements that should be touted. When has Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., ever said he was fair and unbiased? He’s one of the cornerstones of the Democratic Party — The New York Times, not so much (at least in an ideal world).
But at the end of the day, an endorsement is still just a suggestion from someone better than you. Sometimes they know more than you do and sometimes they just like to pretend they do.
Oh yeah — VOTE.