Editorial Comment - Coverage of Larry Miskel's Campaign Kickoff

Published by Jimmy Oldsun, NDRIRSRWRAFTC & Editor

Larry Miskel kicked off his election campaign for the position of Presiding Commissioner of Gasconade County this past Sunday afternoon at Swiss Meat and Sausage Company in Swiss.  I was out of town for the weekend, so I didn't have a chance to attend.  In the interest of full disclosure, I need to remind you that Hermann Hearsay earlier endorsed Miskel to unseat Ron Jost.  We here at HH are huge supporters of Larry Miskel and huge detractors of Ron Jost, a man who has done very little to move Gasconade County forward.

This editorial comment is not about Larry Miskel's campaign kickoff.  Rather it is about the highly questionable press coverage his campaign kickoff received.  Hermann News and The Hermann Advertiser-Courier chose NOT to cover the event.  CNL did choose to cover the event, but I didn't care for the way they covered it.
 
Had I been able to attend Sunday's event, I would have had the good "journalistic judgment" to refrain from publishing the names of citizens who attended.  I would have chosen not to publish attendees' names for three very important reasons:

1. The important story is NOT who attended the campaign kickoff.  The important story is that Ron Jost, current Presiding Commissioner, has strong competition in the August Republican primary.  The story is that the challenger, Larry Miskel, the current Mayor of Hermann, is a very credible candidate.  Hermann Hearsay believes that Miskel has superior credentials in every respect ..... past experience, education and temperment.
2. The news story should NOT be who attended the campaign kickoff.  Rather it should be about what Larry Miskel had to say about the current condition of Gasconade County as well as his ideas and plans to move the county forward should he succeed in his bid to unseat incumbent Presiding Commissioner Ron Jost.  Reading CNL's report on the event, one is given the impression that Miskel did not enumerate his position on the issues.  And if he didn't get specific on the issues, why didn't CNL press him to do so?  Maybe CNL isn't quite the news organization they purport to be!
3. The story should NOT be about the individuals who attended the campaign kickoff.  Most of the individuals who attended the event are private citizens.  Most do NOT hold public office.  As private citizens, these individuals should be able to attend a political campaign event without having their names plastered all over a "news" article about the event.  These private citizens should NOT have their political campaign involvement and personal support of  candidates disclosed in a "news" article, a "news" article which ought to be more about the candidate and his public positions than those who support him.  Inclusion of attendee names in such reports about political events can have a "chilling" effect on attendance.  Some people, for various personal and business reasons, do not want to advertise their political preferences.  If the media focuses on political event attendance, then people who attend political events may become intimidated and they may choose not to get involved in politics.  And this would be a sad consequence for the health of America's political system

Had I been able to attend Miskel's campaign event, I would have had the good journalistic judgment to report to you more of what the candidate actually had to say about county issues.  Rather than picking out relatively insignificant statements like ..... "The County needs my help. We'll be running hard until August 3. I've already eaten a lot of fish sandwiches and homemade ice cream.", with nothing more about what Miskel went on to say, I would have given you the entirety of his reported "brief remarks".  The important storyline is what Miskel sees wrong with Gasconade County and what he intends to do about it, NOT that he has eaten a "lot of fish sandwiches and homemade ice cream".

But some "journalists" have personal agendas, now don't they?  Some "journalists" report what they want to report, what they want you to know as oppose to what you really should know.  So what is the personal agenda of a "journalist" who goes out of his way to report to you the names of Gasconade County citizens who attended a local political event hosted by a challenger for the office of Presiding Commissioner?  What is the agenda of a "journalist" who intentially limits what he reports regarding the candidate's full remarks?  Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Be careful what you read on other daily online so-called "news" sites!  Reading their "news" reports could actually be harmful to your correct understanding of those news events!  What you read could have been under-reported.  What you read could have been mis-reported.  What you read could be someone's personal "spin" on the news!

At Hermann Hearsay, we call 'em the way we see 'em!  We don't like "journalists" who "spin" the news.  They give all the rest of us a bad name!