Others run for mayor

My letter on media bias appear in the Ottawa Citizen today (Others run for mayor, Ottawa Citizen, Letters-to-the-Editor, September 30, 2010). A telephone call from the editor resulted in a decision to make a small editorial change. The change actually enhances the letter’s message but one comment made by the editor serves to confirm the accuracy of my message.


The editor believes that the Citizen is accurate in its reporting, but that the decision to focus on the two leading candidates is an editorial decision because it is difficult to cover all 20. Isn’t this the point I was making? Others have important views that deserve to be reported on so that voters are well informed. One of the observations in my letter is that while other candidates made important points the article concentrated on the ongoing and irrelevant interchange between Watson and O’Brien that has plagued this campaign so-far.

Another article that appears in today’s Ottawa Citizen serves to confirm the biased reporting that I am referring to (A slow day on the hustings for mayoral candidates, Joanne Chianello and Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen, September 30, 2010). While there is brief mention of some other candidates, including the other lead contender Clive Doucet, the article focuses on “the two front runners,” Watson and O’Brien. It appears that instead of keeping readers well informed the editorial staff is suggesting who we should be voting for.