4A = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2002
FACE-OFF
Who should provide candidate information?
Face-Off is a weekly project of the Kansan editorial board. Each Wednesday two editorial board members will argue opposing sides of a hot-button issue that affects students at the University of Kansas. We hope that this section will help students to understand both sides of an argument and
make better decisions about thier own beliefs.
If you have a suggestion for a topic that could be used in Face-Off, or if you would like to join the editorial board, please call Maggie Koerth or Amy Potter at 864-4924. You can also email suggestions to opinion@kansan.com.
Information service is duty of government
The right to vote is arguably the most important right for the citizens of a democratic society. Nevertheless, a substantial number of U.S. citizens choose not to exercise this right.
According to a 2000 U.S. Census report, there are 203 million eligible voters in the U.S. Ninety-two million people didn't vote last election day. Perhaps the reason these non-voters are listless is they didn't know enough about the candidates.
Although the census found that 36.1 percent of college-age citizens vote, the fault cannot lie entirely with apathetic students.The government receives data on the low voter turnout, but fails to wake up to the reality that it must do something to get people to the booths.
When the only information available comes from signs along the street and attack ads on TV and radio, it's easy to see why. Concrete information on how a candidate stands on a particular issue is difficult, if not impossible, to collect.
Go to City Hall at Sixth and Massachusetts streets and ask to see information on the candidates that will be on the ballot in November. You'll leave with nothing. Go to the courthouse, Lawrence's public high schools, or the public library and ask the same question. Again, you'll come away empty-handed.
These public service entities fail to provide any information about those who will oversee its agencies. The United States, Kansas and Lawrence in particular, need voter information packets. The government needs centralized locations where voters can collect comprehensive information on key issues for all candidates on the ballot. The answers should be provided by the candidate and should be as long as necessary to answer the questions presented.
Although the Hatch Act prevents government employees from advocating a particular political group or candidate, information packets would not be in violation of the Act because they would provide an unbiased overview of every candidate, regardless of affiliation.
The government should provide this specifically because the information would remain objective. Newspapers have biases. Their editorial boards and columnists endorse one candidate over another, yet expect the reader to believe they're impartial when listing the candidate's qualifications.
Further, with all the information coming from one location, voters wouldn't have to scour the web and collect every newspaper to find basic information about candidates.
Yes, this idea will cost money. Yes, this will take a number of hours to accomplish. But informing voters is worth the effort. Increasing the 18- to 24-year-old voter turnout is worth the effort. And getting the population at large to the polls to exercise their democratic right is certainly worth the effort.
Dan Osman for the editorial board.
Leave info to private organizations
At the heart of the democratic process is the right to vote.
It is tragic when those privileged enough to do so squander the right. Yet it would be equally tragic to abandon the principles that assure that our democratic process is truly free.
Asking the government to synthesize information for voter information packets presents a conflict of interest that threatens the heart of democracy. Providing information on election candidates falls under the domain of the press.
A myriad of public information is available to voters through the press. Everything from voting records to campaign finance information can be found online. Granted, this information can be difficult to find for new candidates, but non-incumbents often have government backgrounds from which relevant information is available.
Congress has always been keen to maintain the objectivity of such information.
In 1939 Congress passed the Hatch Act, which prohibited federal employees from engaging in partisan political activities. In the 1975 case Civil Service Commission v. Letter Carriers, the Supreme Court upheld the Hatch Act, noting the original intent of the act was to "execute the programs of the government without bias or favoritism for or against any political party." The court said, "Forbidding activities like these will reduce the hazards to fair and effective government."
The Supreme Court has always held political speech to be one of the most protected forms of expression available, yet it continually takes a back seat to government impartiality.
This was demonstrated again in Burson v. Freeman in 1992, when the court said protecting voters from undue confusion was a compelling interest.
Government-provided information presents merely the raw data. Both conclusions and political spin are conspicuously absent.
It would be impossible to maintain objectivity if the government actively provided this information instead of passively supplying it. The pool of information the government would draw from inevitably risks favoring a candidate.
It is unfortunate that the right to vote is so easily dismissed, seemingly by so many. Compensating for this tragedy by losing faith in the free press is not the answer.
Acknowledging that bias is inherent in any political account allows both sides to balance against each other.
This acknowledgment maintains the impartiality of the government while encouraging participation. Obtaining information to become an informed voter may not be as easy as picking up a packet when you register to vote, but when weighed against the alternative, it is certainly preferable.
No one said democracy would be easy.
PERSPECTIVES
Greg Holmquist dissenting.
'Kansan' reporters hit streets to cover campus news
Many times now, I have been asked how a story idea can reach an editor's ears.
To anyone not involved in the process, it may seem that anything that happens should catch a journalist's attention. This, unfortunately, isn't always true.
The Kansan relies heavily on contacts with different organizations or individuals in order to learn of an event. Even with outside help, the Kansan can and does miss unworthy topics because of limited staff and resources.
This is when a beat reporter becomes vital to a news staff.
Jay Krall, Kansan editor, says a beat reporter covers an assigned subject area and has a group of sources or contacts he is responsible for.
Such subject areas vary by newspaper, but almost always include such beats as city, education, police, entertainment and health.
READERS' REPRESENTATIVE
In order to improve the variety of different news covered by the Kansan, the editors created four new beats this semester.
These new beats cover sorority and fraternity life, science and research, sports administration, and clubs and organizations.
Despite these new efforts, reader input is vital to the newspaper.
Not even Kansan reporters can claim to be omniscient, and because of this even some of the most important events slip past their focus. Reporters and students must stay in contact with each
Laurel Burchfield lburchfield@kansan.com
other in order for the Kansan to know what is going on.
For example, George Schulz, clubs and organizations beat reporter attempts to attend as many of the more than 300 registered clubs and organizations meetings as possible.
Not only does he include the most active groups, but Schulz makes a special effort to also attend those that are less
known or even obscure. It is impossible though, for him to be in constant contact with all of these groups.
Yet, he says the best way for him to keep up with events on campus is to have the members of a group contact him.
One way to do this is for a group to add his email address, gschulz@kansan.com, to their list servers.
There is another way inform readers about what's going on.
"On Campus," which is located on the second page of the Kansan, is a place to print your group's location and meeting time.
These announcements serve as a general invitation for all to attend your group's picnics, seminars and lectures. If
you want to list something in "On Campus", all you have to do is log onto www.kansan.com and enter a submission form under the On Campus Calendar. Group representatives can also submit their events at the Kansan newsroom, room 111 Stauffer-Flint Hall
The Kansan employs 18 regular reporters who each write an average of three stories a week, yet even with that amount of coverage, it is still necessary for readers to provide as much input as possible. Only then can the staff of the Kansan be completely aware of what is happening in the lives of KU students.
Burchfield is a Baseer sophomore in journalism, education and English.
TALK TO US
Jay Kral
editor
864-4854 or
jkral@kansan.com
Brooke Hesler and Kyle Ramsey managing editors 864-4854 or bhesler@kansan.com and
kramsey@kansan.com
Laurel Burchfield
readers'
representative
864-4810 or
iburchfield.kansan.com
Maggie Koerth and Amy Potter opinion editors 864-4924 or opinion@kansan.com
Amber Agee business manager 864-4358 or advertising@kansan.com
Eric Kelting
retail sales manager
864-4358 or
advertising@kansan.com
Mcalom Gibson
general manager and
news adviser
884-7687 or
mgibison@kansan.com
Matt Fisher sales and marketing adviser 864-7686 or mfisher@kansan.com
Free for All
Call 864-0500
Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansan editors reserve the right to omit comments. Slenderous and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded.
For more comments, go to www.kansan.com.
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