During this campaign several candidates have asked us whether we, the Prince George Free Press, are going to endorse a slate of candidates in tomorrow’s election.
We are not.
While many newspapers and news organizations do endorse political candidates, we do not feel that is the role of a community newspaper. The reason? We strive to provide fair reporting and comment on all issues facing our community. If we endorse a mayoral candidate, or slate of council candidates, then we forfeit our claim to fair and balanced reporting.
In today’s world, particularly today’s political world, perception is reality. While we may believe that we can fairly report and comment on political issues while endorsing one candidate over another, the perception in the community will be that we are either in that candidate’s pocket or against everything they do. And, there may very well be more to it than perception.
We don’t want to put ourselves in that position. We want to be able to be critical of our new mayor and council without it seeming like sour grapes or, conversely, be supportive of good ideas without it seeming like we’re the mayor and council’s mouthpiece. We feel it is more important to present to you, the reader, fair and balanced reporting of the issues and fair and balanced opinion on those issues. We believe, based on the information we have presented and that you have garnered elsewhere, that you, the reader, are intelligent enough to make your own decisions.