By Pete Estes
Staff Writer

With roughly two weeks remaining before polls open, digital and print media sources are covering one final push by political-office hopefuls to better inform the people. The League of Women Voters of Champlain Valley and the political science department at the University of Vermont teamed up this fall to analyze the impact that media outlets have on elections. 

The local onus

The two groups held a panel discussion on Tuesday, Oct. 14 at UVM to discuss the topic.  The panel consisted of Sue Allen, editor of the Times Argus newspaper in Barre, Vt.; Kristin Carlson, senior political reporter for WCAX News in Burlington, and Philip Baruth, a blogger from The Vermont Daily Briefing and an English professor at UVM.

“The League of Women Voters is non-partisan and for most of our meetings we try to cover all sides of the issues,” says Keri Toksu, director of publicity for the Champlain Valley chapter. 

Local members of the media gathered together at the Davis Center at UVM to discuss their influence on upcoming elections. (Photo by Cailey McDermott)

Carlson says that reporters walk a tight-rope when it comes to getting both sides of the story and reporting really becomes a balancing act.

It is important for readers to not know who the paper supports, Allan says.

It is when you, as a reporter, hear criticism from both sides of the spectrum that you know you really have done a story well, Carlson says.

“We like to be equal opportunity abusers,” she adds.  “You know you may have hit it on the head when you get chatter from both sides.”

The nature of blogging dominated the early part of the discussion. Baruth explained how blogs have come into mainstream popular culture and have influenced a fair share of opinions.

“With a blog it is pretty much all editorial all the time,” Baruth says.  “Blogs make their views known, make their preferred candidates known. They don’t necessarily shoot for what you might call balanced coverage.” 

As the topics drifted away from the advertised focus of the discussion, the ability of the media to handle uninteresting stories came to light. The job of the reporter is to take the dull or complex story and turn it into something that the viewers are going to have a vested interest in, Carlson says.

“When I cover the Statehouse, that’s not sexy, but I think you can find a way to make it interesting and informative,” she says.  “The best stories marry the two.”

The neutral approach

Even as the historic presidential election humbles local elections, news sources in Burlington scramble to give Vermont voters the most fair and accurate information about their own state, according to Burlington Free Press political reporter Terri Hallenbeck. She says the main goal in a journalist’s work is to take all the candidates viewpoints into consideration. 

Keri Toksu, active member of the League of Women Voters of Champlain Valley. (Photo courtesy of Keri Toksu)

Hallenbeck spoke at the League of Women Voters’ Tuesday afternoon meeting in Burlington at theFletcher Free Library.  She explains that it is a common misconception that the media has an agenda to perhaps influence the voters’ decision in any given election.

“We are the ones without an agenda,” Hallenbeck says.  “We sit in meetings about how to tell a good story, not about how to advance somebody’s cause.”

Carlson focuses her broadcast reports on the local elections in the state of Vermont. It is important for Vermonters to understand the policy stances of their elected officials, maintaining that her main goal is to create better informed voters, she says.

“Whatever it is that I’m doing, 'am I covering this in a way that is helping the people at home learn something new?'” Carlson says.  “People can’t be everywhere.  My role as the media is to be the eyes, and ears and bring people the story.”

In a small state like Vermont, many citizens have had a chance to meet their elected officials, but look to the media to get a better glimpse of what they truly stand for.  Political figures, especially in election season, want to get their word out there to different news sources, Carlson says.

Youth and the media

The media is so prominent in society that it is difficult to tell how politicians stand on some issues that may directly affect a particular generation.

“It is very difficult to tell how the media is influencing elections because it is so infused with society," says Abi Andrus, a junior social work major at UVM.

Andrus also adds that the social policy is important to her viewpoint of the candidates.

“You can say [your policy] to the media all you want but if nothing changes then saying it is irreconcilable,” she says.

Broadcast news, in particular, makes it difficult to report the whole story because air time restricts the amount of news that can be portrayed to voters on any given issue, Carlson says.

“I can never fully inform or explain the issues or what is happening; it is impossible,” she says.  “My goal has been to try and spark interest that inspires people to go and learn more.”