The Fight for Accurate Election Reporting
A local editor slams rival newspapers for their abysmal, inaccurate coverage of the primary election returns.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The value of any newspaper to its community lies in the efficiency of its news columns. When a subscriber pays his money he has a right to expect that the publication will supply him with the news of his community as quickly, as accurately and as completely as possible. The Courier-Reporter has always endeavored to render its readers efficient service. An example of our service, as contrasted with other newspapers of the county, was furnished last week in reporting the results of the primary election. Although forty miles away from the county seat where returns are compiled, this paper carried a much more complete report than the county seat papers. In fact, we were prepared at daylight Wednesday morning to give our readers more complete election returns than either of the Prosser papers. We devoted 35 inches of election news, while the Independent-Record gave 12 inches, and the Republican-Bulletin devoted just four inches to the big story of the week. The Republican-Bulletin incorrectly identified candidates, mixing up Republicans and Democrats, and even listed candidates for districts where no such race existed. We are not dilating on these facts with the feeling that we have conferred a great favor upon our readers; we simply believe we gave them no more than they have the right to expect from any wide-awake, efficient newspaper.
“It is a business in which we should be as cold blooded and hard headed as in signing the other fellow’s note.”
In an era of hyper-partisan media and 'fake news' narratives, this editorial highlights that the anxiety over news accuracy and the struggle for civic transparency has been a feature of Washington journalism for over a century.
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