Politicians And The Media Have Earned Their Low Public Opinion

Mitt Romney skipped Iowa in the caucuses, and now his campaign is scrambling to secure Iowa’s 6 electoral votes.

Editors Note: The views and opinions expressed in this editorial are not necessarily the views or opinions of Osky News.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The election process is one that many Americans draw a great deal of pride from. For generations upon generations Americans have stepped forward to defend their freedoms, and one of those primary freedoms has been the right to vote.

Politics in America is an ever evolving process, one that today might generally resemble the one our forefathers were familiar with.

But beneath that facade is a two-party system that enjoys its power over the electorate, the process of choosing those in power, and many times over the media that reports on it.

We’ve all become familiar with the deep divide that has developed between the two parties, and in turn divides the people.

Media, who are to be tending the Gardens of the Fourth Estate, have become nothing but partisan mouthpieces, further dividing a country. (The Fourth Estate traces it roots back to the late 1700’s in Britain and that the press was the forth branch of government. Generally, that has been translated to American government where the press is the unofficial fourth branch of government that helps to safeguard and inform the public about its government at all levels.)

This opinion piece is not designed to take sides in the political process, but instead is only used to highlight the problems facing the American people in finding fair, accurate and unbiased reporting today.

Recently, when President Obama visited Oskaloosa, members of the area press sent in their credential information and… waited. We all waited a while longer, with many of us getting into line for a ticket to see the President just the same as everyone else.

Time goes by and yet no word despite the best efforts by many to find out if the press, locally, would be credentialed for the event. Now I can only speak about efforts from CRI and Oskaloosa News, maybe the other media in town had different results.

Finally, at about 7pm the night before his arrival, a list is sent out with approved names, less than 10 hours before we were to be setting up TV cameras and having our equipment in place.

When arriving early, we found hot coffee, muffins and an assortment of breakfast goodies, catered in by Smokey Row to the Nelson Pioneer Farm’s Bradbury Hall that was provided by the campaign.

There were tables and chairs set up for reporters to use, a podium for a possible press conference afterwards and internet provided by a local service provider.

This appeared to be as we had normally found on the campaign trail during the time republican candidates were seeking to win the Iowa Caucus.

We knew the time was closing in for the security sweep, and constant reminders by campaign staff to leave, even before all the equipment was in place, was annoying but understandable.

Upon returning, we notice the bus carrying the national traveling press arrive and they are being allowed to enter Bradbury Hall through a normal entrance, but as we approach the building, the same staff turn us back saying it isn’t time for us to be there yet.

President Barack Obama makes a campaign stop at Nelson Pioneer Farm just outside of Oskaloosa (photo by Ken Allsup)

My first question was, of course, what is different about them from us. Des Moines market TV stations were treated no differently, and were also turned away while the traveling national press utilized all the resources put into place.

I put in a request I knew would be denied, to have a local photographer be on hand to help document those moments of the President’s visit for us locally, and as expected, it was denied.

Finally, they start allowing local press to enter. So, instead of entering the same door as the national press, we were herded through another security screening. Fine, this is understandable as protecting the President is important, of course, but my thoughts drifted to the bus load of national press that waltzed into the building, that would ultimately give them the same access to the same area I would enjoy… or so I thought.

As the day progresses, we hear from various supporters, and a congressman before the President arrives in his bus.

He arrives on stage, a clear set piece to convey a message. A white picket fence, farm machines and corn as far as the eye can see help him deliver a message about…wind energy? Oh, and how unfit for the job his opponent is.

As I am working to get the pictures I want of the President, while he’s here in our town, I notice the press up front taking pictures. Since no one locally was able to capture those special moments of the visit away from the public eye, at the very least I should attempt to get as many angles as possible.

I approach the gated area that lead to the area in front of the President, and asked politely if I could enter. I got the ‘yes’ nod. So I open the gate and start to lower down to crawl my way in front for that special picture, when I am stopped by a Secret Service member saying, “Ken, you’re not allowed up there, you’re just an L.” If you wanted access, you had to have a press credential with an ‘N’ on it. Of course, “N” stood for the national press.

Imagine my surprise and embarrassment.

After I leave that immediate area, the gravity of what is transpiring right in front of me becomes apparent, and was expressed on my personal Facebook page that evening when I called it a “Dog and Pony Show”.

I was so disgusted by the complete lack of access, openness, or the ability of the local media, even dare say regional media to ask questions, or even remotely be relevant in the days activities. I had my first view in how campaigns truly manipulate the media, and in turn, the media accepts the manipulation because they want the story.

Vice President Joe Biden emerges from Smokey Row with Smokey Row Manager Steven Jensen.

About a month or more later, we are greeted by Vice President Joe Biden. His stop is mostly unannounced, but really wasn’t to difficult to figure out based upon history of “surprise” stops and the location of his previous speech that day and the one he was headed to next.

On that day, my wife and I are sitting in Smokey Row having an ice tea and working on our books for the month. As is usual, our camera wasn’t far away. After a few patrons in the restaurant started mentioning helicopters, a quick glance around reveals the Secret Service in everyday clothing. A quick retrieval of the camera in our vehicle helps prepare us for what is apparently a surprise stop.

The Secret Service agents were very accommodating and worked well with me as I attempted to get the pictures of the VP’s arrival.

The campaign staff, after seeing that we are part of the local press, tell us we can’t be in the restaurant. They tell us this even though we were paying customers well before the VP was known to have been arriving.

Then, they say it’s OK for us to be a part of what is going on, but demand we move to a certain spot in the room. That is fine, I can understand there being some order to things. But then we are commanded to go behind the counter while the VP does his greetings for the national press, who swoop in to get the all important shots of him ordering a sandwich and a bowl of soup.

Once those important things are done, the campaign staff orders all the press out of Smokey Row. So we are told we have to leave, in a hostile way from the staff, all the while our personal belongings are at a table in the restaurant. (Remember, we are doing our bookwork and our financial information and checkbooks are there.)

We finally push back and demand that we be allowed to collect our things and we move to an outside table. But, again we find ourselves not compatible with the campaign’s wishes because, with us sitting there, it ruins the perfect image for the video and still images they have planned to take for when Biden is set to leave.

So, the traveling press are more than content to stand, for nearly a half an hour, in the sun to take a picture or video that would be no more than 30 seconds in length. How sad is that.

And when one local reporter attempts to ask the Vice President a relevant question, there is no response; not even an acknowledgement. How sad is that for America, let alone the people of Oskaloosa and Mahaska County.

That is the same thing experienced when President Obama visited the area, not one opportunity to ask the President a question. This lack of openness actually did start to anger the national press at one point, when Andrea Mitchell took the Obama campaign press secretary Ben LaBolt to task for the lack of the president’s press availability. LaBolt even mentioned in his conversation with Mitchell that the local press was having the opportunity to ask the President questions. This was untrue and misleading.

But what makes me so very mad is that, even yet, the press pool is willing to follow these people around and not continue to question them on the issues, but basically turn these stops into free public relations videos for the candidate. It’s nothing more than a walking press release and it doesn’t serve the public one bit. They should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this to happen.

They should be ashamed that they are not informing the American people with real information, formulated with real questions that get at the heart of what the people want to know.

The stage was set for one of Romney’s few appearances in Iowa during the caucuses. This time it was for the ABC News Republican Debate held in Ames.

Now, Mr. Romney. I am honestly surprised you’re doing as well in Iowa as you are.

You ignored Iowa, for the most part, during the Iowa Caucuses.

Mitt Romney had spent approximately a dozen days in Iowa trying to gather support for his campaign. The 21 total events he had for the caucus is nothing but a drop in the proverbial bucket compared to many of his competitors.

You know that Iowans demand more, and rightfully so. The spotlight of the nation is on us, and every 4 years we have to prove why Iowa should be first in the nation. You were not to be found on the back roads of Iowa shaking hands, unless it was within a short distance of an airport and a fundraiser or a debate.

Only 3 other candidates had less time in Iowa than Romney: Buddy Roemer, Gary Johnson, and Jon Huntsman. Sarah Palin, who wasn’t even in the race, had half as many visits to Iowa as Romney did.

Won’t you be wishing you had shaken a few more hands in Iowa if you lose the election by less than 6 electoral votes?

But let’s get back to the real issue of the relationship of campaigns and the press and the American people.

In the middle of October, your staff and the press held a flag football game on the beach of Daytona in which you stopped by while taking a break in preparing for the first presidential debate.

Really? Campaign staff and the press enjoying a game of flag football? It may seem innocent and playful enough, but are we becoming too friendly between the press and the political universe? How can we expect anything different from this pool of reporters than the others that are following the President and the Vice President who were catered too?

Has the Garden of the 4th Estate dried up? Have your responsibilities to your readers, viewers and the American people become less important? Is it just easier to take the morsels of information they toss at your feet than to really be a guardian of that estate?

The distrust of the media is only bested by the distrust of politicians. I would say that is a fair opinion when this outsider, who has an opportunity to look in from time to time, has become greatly ashamed of the job we are doing.

We should not have liberal media and conservative media. Those use to be located on the opinion page only. The cold hard facts were to be found on the front pages, a your lead packages at 6 and 10.

To the American people, it’s time we not only expect more from our politicians, but we must demand more from the journalists who report on them. We must demand that the corporate offices who hold the leashes of their news departments be made aware that the truth is most important, not the bottom line.

I would recommend that you seek out as much information from as many different sources when you are trying to determine who you want to vote for. At times, reading press coverage from new sources outside of the US helps to bring even greater clarity to the issues facing us today.

To the political world. Being secretive and controlling and attempting to manipulate every situation isn’t helping you. The American people are smarter than you give them credit for. Bashing each other with words is easy, but cooperating to find solutions and offering real leadership is the answer. Be genuine.

In the end, they say all politics is local and with that in mind, support your local candidates. Many of these people genuinely care for their neighbor no matter if they are an (R) or a (D) or for that matter an (I). These people are many times selfless, giving of themselves and their time, and have developed a passion for their communities.

Spend some time between now and November 6th and learn as much as you can about the people seeking office and then vote. Men and women have served and sacrificed for generations and generations to give you that right.