The problem with newspaper endorsements is that they are completely partisan and lack objective analysis. Take this paper for example. Do you really think they looked seriously at the benefits of a McCain presidency? Of course not! They will always support the Democrat. The only benefit of a papers’ endorsement is that it reminds the casual user that this so-called objective newspaper is strongly biased to the left.

I don’t understand why you ask the question. It’s just like when you asked about the ombudsman. It doesn’t matter what the readers think.

Sure, but only on the editorial page, not in what news is reported, or how the news is reported.

This column seems appropriate here;

“If you had any principles, then surely right now, when the American people are set to blame President Bush and John McCain for a crisis they tried to prevent, and are actually shifting to approve of Barack Obama because of a crisis he helped cause, you would be laboring at least as hard to correct that false impression.

Your job, as journalists, is to tell the truth. That’s what you claim you do, when you accept people’s money to buy or subscribe to your paper.

But right now, you are consenting to or actively promoting a big fat lie — that the housing crisis should somehow be blamed on Bush, McCain, and the Republicans. You have trained the American people to blame everything bad — even bad weather — on Bush, and they are responding as you have taught them to.

If you had any personal honor, each reporter and editor would be insisting on telling the truth — even if it hurts the election chances of your favorite candidate.

Because that’s what honorable people do. Honest people tell the truth even when they don’t like the probable consequences. That’s what honesty means . That’s how trust is earned.

Barack Obama is just another politician, and not a very wise one. He has revealed his ignorance and naivete time after time — and you have swept it under the rug, treated it as nothing.

Meanwhile, you have participated in the borking of Sarah Palin, reporting savage attacks on her for the pregnancy of her unmarried daughter — while you ignored the story of John Edwards’s own adultery for many months.

So I ask you now: Do you have any standards at all? Do you even know what honesty means?

Is getting people to vote for Barack Obama so important that you will throw away everything that journalism is supposed to stand for?”

Full Column, here;

http://www.ldsmag.com/ideas/081017light.html

Before retirement, I spent a career in the newspaper business (though never with the the P-D) as a reporter, editor and, for awhile, editorial page editor.

I always felt that the newspaper endorsing candidates put extra pressure on the reporters, especially when dealing with non-endorsed candidates and even more when dealing with officeholders who did not win the paper’s endorsement.

I realize the tradition of such editorial endorsements and respect it, but I always felt it was a hindrance to my work as a reporter and editor. As an editorial page editor, and writer of editorials, I tried to put off candidate endorsements until the last possible moment, so as not to handcuff reporters on my paper’s staff.

Newspapers should report the news and not give opinions or do anything to influence voters. They need to remain objective and not endorse any canidate.

Les

A number of readers don’t seem to acknowledge the separation of the Editorial pages from the news pages.

Star20’s comment recognizes the distinction we follow: Opinions are the purpose of the Opinion and Other Views pages of the Post-Dispatch. But the rest of the paper — with the exception of many columnists — is charged with delivering unbiased, balanced and fair reporting.

Do whatever you like on your editorial page. That’s what it’s there for I assume.

Be objective when reporting the news. Yeah right. The P-D will be politically objective about the same time 2 feet of ice form on top of h-ll.

The entire news writer world is biased; they project their opinions simply by the stories they choose to cover. The only exception that the P-D has is that not only does it project it’s biased opinion, 70% of the time it can’t even write an article that isn’t replete with typos, poor grammar, or thorough enough.

Having an endorsement in the Editorial pages is no big deal. But to not acknowledge the news writers’ part in their coverage of this year’s political arena is frustrating and shocking to me. McCain and Palin have been slammed over and over for things beyond their control while O’Bama and Biden have yet to be called to the carpet for their political lies. And I’m not even a huge McCain fan.

By the way, news writers, where has your coverage of the independent presidential candidates been? Until last night’s news, how many citizens knew that Nader is running? Only those that bother to do their own research of politics and don’t care to hear a news writer’s opinion.

The days of a reporter searching for the “real” story, or the story behind the headlines, is over. There are no truth-searching reporters out there; they’re all just doing what they have to do to get their paycheck.

So why would I, or anyone, want to hear your endorsement regardless of whether it’s in the Editorials or on the front page.

No. It is the job of the media to REMAIN AN UNBIASED SOURCE of news and information, which should be left for the audience to determine their perceptions and judgements on issues. Purposely NOT covering certain stories while focusing on others, especially during a political campaign, is one example of bias. Another is endorsements. It’s unprofessional, and reduces credibility with the audience. Basically I feel like this: if I want to get comprehensive and fair coverage of John McCain, I don’t go to your paper, or KSDK for instance. Speaking of KSDK, the other day they had 7 top stories on their web page covering Obama’s visit. When McCain arrived, one. Obama is a creation of the media, and with its help, beat the Clinton machine. As per Sean Hannity, this is the year that media died in this country. All gloves are off to help Obama fight to win. Your endorsement ruins your credibility as a non-biased source of information. I really wish Americans did more thinking on their own, rather than relying on biased information or sound bytes from the media to elect a candidate.