This is not the year for ordinary campaign reporting.

People in the community, across Oregon and in the country are divided.

Candidates attack each other. Lies are accepted as “campaign tactics,” as if that excuses avoiding the truth.

Too many candidates avoid being clear and candid with voters. They use political gauze to mask their intentions. Platitudes stand as platforms.

And it’s a season of anger. Simply discussing a topic of public interest can stir people to shout instead of talk. That’s true for the ALL CAPS screeds on social media. It’s true on street corners. And it’s true at political rallies, no matter the party affiliation.

Two other elements make this election challenging.

One is doubt about the ballot process itself. President Trump and U.S. Attorney General William Barr seem determined to convince us that America has no chance at an honest election, at least for president. Thank goodness Oregon has had all-mail elections for years. But still the questioning puts the most fundamental democratic process – the vote – under suspicion.

And then there is the press.

Trust in the media is as weak as it has ever been. Readers and viewers aren’t sure which news organizations to trust or what stories to believe.

In the face of all of that, Salem Reporter wants to serve local readers’ needs this election.

We aren’t covering the presidential campaign. We aren’t dealing with statewide offices or measures.

Our value to you is to deploy our expertise to inform you – accurately and usefully – about local election matters, particularly candidates.

We don’t want to assume what you want to know. So, we’re asking.

We designed a survey to get at this main question: What can Salem Reporter do that would be helpful to local readers?

The survey won’t take long. It’s confidential, meaning you can be candid without fear your views are going public. Start the survey HERE.

Why are we doing this? Because I believe the press simply must do a better job of election coverage. Doing stories on polls is “horse race journalism” – who’s ahead, who’s behind. That tells a voter nothing about what candidates want to do.

The political debate is too often driven by the candidates. They pick the issues to discuss. They decide what they’ll issue “white papers” on.

What about what the voters want? It’s time you had more say.

This is an experiment. We need you to be our partners. We’ll see if, together, we can at least here in Salem produce a more reasonable assessment of candidates and issues. We can at least equip voters with something more than the puffery that appears in Voters’ Pamphlet.

And while I have your attention, consider watching the Salem City Club’s video series over the coming weeks that also serves to give voters direct access to information. Salem Reporter is sponsoring the first session. Get the full schedule and details HERE.

Our survey is one more way we’re working at Salem Reporter to talk with, not AT, the people of Salem. We’re here to provide you an independent, trusted news source.

And with your survey, you can help guide how, at least in Salem, voters get the election information they want.

Les Zaitz, editor

Salem Reporter

Reach Les by email at [email protected]

SUPPORT ESSENTIAL REPORTING FOR SALEM – A subscription starts at $5 a month for around-the-clock access to stories and email alerts sent directly to you. Your support matters. Go HERE.

By Salem Reporter