I hope that the individual journalists covering this fall’s upcoming political campaigns will not allow their news stories to affect the elections by presuming in their stories that candidates are guilty (or probably guilty) of wrongdoing simply because their opponents say they are.
Allegations are not necessarily true until they are proven true. Furthermore, not every negative allegation is newsworthy; most are not. Voters should never base their choices on allegations but instead on careful consideration of the candidates’ positions on the issues, which should be the focus of responsible reporting.
Journalists: In these campaigns, consider carefully the sources you use for your reporting and their possible motivations. Fellow readers: Read your news carefully and critically, and demand high standards of the reporters. Fulfillment of these duties is necessary for our free press to perform its service to our democracy.
