A Time to Jump In

During the 30 or so years that I worked in news, my personal policy was to be uninvolved in all political campaigns, no signs, no contributions, nothing supporting any candidate or ballot proposition. For most of my colleagues this practice was pretty typical and actually required by many news organizations. Now that I'm on my own it's time to jump back in. I say "back in" because twice before I've been a campaigner. When I was nine years old my mother took me to the local Democratic Club in Queens, and I handed out literature supporting JFK. In the 1970s, during a short break in my news career, I helped a friend with his state assembly campaign in Northern California.

So why now? For one thing, I don't work for a news organization or report the news; so I can. But more important is the importance of this particular election. As I've stated, fairly often in this blog, IrvsEyeView is not a political commentary; it is about culture and communication. Obviously, politics and those areas crossover in different ways. The most important reason I have decided to actively support a candidate in this election is that we have experienced a dramatic and profound shift in our national priorities during the last eight years. 9/11 was part of the picture but not the most important driver.

After a long news career you begin to get a sense about stories you cover and which stories have "legs". In the short term that means how long will it be a story. But in a more meaningful sense, it means the story will become a part of history, one that matters. It is safe to say that all presidential elections affect, and are integral to, history. This one, though, is the biggest in my lifetime.

With that in mind I spent the last weekend training to help lead local volunteer efforts for Barack Obama. I offer this information for two reasons. First, I've always believed in full disclosure. Most of you who read this blog probably figured out that I'm an Obama supporter. The second reason is to encourage all of you to get involved, even if you support candidates or ideas that are different from my own. Stand up for your beliefs by dedicating your time or your money. To paraphrase the Bible, we cannot stand idly by while blood is being spilled. Of course, the most important political act is voting and encouraging others to vote.

A FINAL WORD FOR MY FRIENDS IN THE NEWS BUSINESS

When journalists do their jobs well, they provide a service so valuable that it is protected by the Constitution. Messengers have often been confused with their message. We know, too, that candidates and advocates target the media with accusations of bias and favoritism. If you work in news, keep doing an honest job that focuses on the issues that are important. Personalities are integral to election decisions and strongly drive the way voters vote. So it's inevitable and vitally relevant that we learn about the individuals seeking our votes; who they are is a legitimate part of the story.

Journalists, today, don't only compete with other journalists across a range of media from print, to TV and radio, and the power of the web. Today, the news men and women who we should look to for truth telling, are competing against the powerful messages of political advertising, that often stretch the truth to the point of being untrue. Good journalism includes critically evaluating political advertising. Many politicians delight in criticizing the media. Sometimes those complaints are well-founded but often they are misdirected or a cynical political tactic. Ultimately, the voters have to decide who to vote for based on an array of messages that create impressions, in the context of our own experience and situations. For those of us who value ethical journalism, we are counting on good reporting that will help guide us through the competing images, personalities, issues, and rhetoric, that drive our choices at this critical point in history.