"Voting complaints highlight role of press in democracy" 12/5

[EMunster]

This Oregonian "public editor" should get a thank you...

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/public_editor/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1102165523269170.xml

clip:

I met with a committed group of representatives of the dozens of people in Oregon working to investigate election irregularities. They were not wild-eyed conspiracy theorists, but everyday Oregonians, ranging from a teacher to a software engineer to an interior designer. They tote reams of reports of inconsistencies in voting patterns, reports of vote suppression and documents reflecting the historical accuracy of exit polling.

Although most opposed President Bush, they contend the issue is about democracy, not who is elected president. "This is not an issue," says Beth Hahn, "this is the issue: We are losing our democracy."

That's why they argue The Oregonian -- which is supposed to be devoted to serving democracy by informing people -- should pay even more attention, especially when it has focused on questions about the Ukrainian presidential election. And they argue that if the newspaper isn't interested because it cares about democracy, it should be aware that a high percentage of its readers are concerned.

Given where most of the election disputes occurred -- with the exception of Washington state -- The Oregonian must rely primarily on wire service stories. That coverage, especially from national newspapers, has not been extensive and deep, but The Oregonian hasn't taken full advantage of what coverage there was.



more at link above...