This Goes For Decatur School Board Members, Too

Today's Indianapolis Star has this fantastic post, authored by Steve Key, General Counsel for the Hoosier State Press Association.

Here is what he had to say about Wayne Township School Board members:

Some Wayne Township School Board members have decided not to speak to reporters. Their voice will now be that of paid district spokeswoman Mary McDermott-Lang.

The media serve as a proxy for citizens – attending public meetings that a citizen’s schedule might preclude. Reporters ask questions that would be on the minds of those who voted for the School Board.

These questions posed by a reporter and included in a newspaper article or news broadcast help citizens understand the quality of representation they are getting from an elected official.

Those citizens are not well served by a board member who refuses to articulate the reasons behind a policy decision, but prefers to hide behind the practiced and professional tongue of a spokesperson who did not cast a vote and can’t speak to the personal motivations of any individual board member for a vote taken.

If Wayne Township School Board members can’t handle the heat of media questions, then they need to get out of the proverbial kitchen.

The Role of the Press

I see two opinion pieces in today's Star regarding the train wreck that is this Legislative Session. First is Matt Tully's great column that reaffirms his writing and thinking talents. In 'Our lawmakers failed us again', Matt writes:

After four months of silly games and petty politics, lawmakers ended their 2009 session without fulfilling their only constitutional duty: passage of a new state budget. Despite a winter and spring spent cashing paychecks from taxpayers and enjoying free meals from lobbyists, the General Assembly failed Indiana.

and

First, the General Assembly is in dire need of new leaders. The annual brawls between House Speaker Pat Bauer and Republican leader Brian Bosma have turned the House into a gridlocked embarrassment. Second, there is a stunning lack of effective rebels in either chamber willing to challenge their legislative bosses and the old way of doing things. Third, if things don't change and if the legislature doesn't start thinking less about politics and more about policy, Indiana is going to sink even further behind other states.

The Star Editorial Board also took on the pathetic Session in an editorial titled 'A sad state of legislative leadership', which started with:

Rating the Indiana General Assembly's sessions is like rating Chicago Cubs seasons. The scale typically runs from disappointing to bad, to dismal to disastrous.

The legislative session that expired Wednesday night deserves a spot on the low end of that register for several reasons, including lawmakers' failure to complete a state budget before they adjourned. Now, taxpayers must bear the cost of a special session at a time when revenues are falling and services are squeezed. That's a minor concern in the scheme of things, but it does illustrate how ineffective and even irresponsible lawmakers were over the course of the session.

These are representative cases where the role of the Press in a free society is to call out elected officials who do not do the work of the people. This is a good thing.

But come election time, lets watch closely for who the Star endorses. While it is clear that Dan Burton will definitely feel the Star's wrath, will they settle for that token gesture? Will they do their usual thing of shedding crocodile tears for the state of our city, state and nation, then endorse all but one or two incumbents?

Use and Abuse of Bully Pulpits

I'm sure we'll get to campaign finance, lobbying, gerrymandering, and the 2 major political parties soon enough.

Right now, though, I'd like to take a minute to speak of the Press and its role in our elections and in the development and execution of public policy.

How do the newspapers you favor impact who you vote for? I don't know anyone who votes solely on basis of the Indy Star's endorsement of a candidate. But, the candidates all seem to want that endorsement, so it means something to somebody. I have two pet peeves about the Indy Star, and endorsements is one of them. Every year the editorial board shouts about the bone-headed stances and actions of various elected officials. Then, they endorse nearly every one of those folks for re-election. How can they reconcile those two views? Is it that they feel free to spout off until it might impact their business? What?

As for this year, they couldn't decide who to endorse for President. Nothing makes your respectability waiver quite as fast as checking the 'not sure' box of an important public opinion poll.

The other pet peeve about the Star is the market-driven structure of the east-west-north-south bureaus. If they want to chase the money to the suburbs, hey go for it. But, they are not fixing the structural problem they created for those of us who live in Marion County. That is - we may or may not get the section with our community or school news. Thus, the Star becomes a newspaper for only downtown news and whatever happens to spill in from the bureaus.

At a time when print newspapers are dropping like flies, one would think they would ask themselves - how can we keep the readers we have?

The role of the fourth estate in a democracy may be inexorably shifting to cable news and internet blogs. For good or for ill, the next round of endorsements you ignore may be from those newer outlets.

What opportunity is there to open up public access to records, create real public input in decisions of government, and real debate of public matters using the media resources that are fading as well as the ones just coming into their own?

Let's talk.