Some problems raised about candidate forum and coverage

Some representatives of local Republican parties have raised some issues — that are valid — both about the setup of and the coverage of the political candidate forum the Havre Daily News sponsored Thursday and an article about the forum that ran in Friday’s edition.

The first issue is that the forum was just that — a forum — not a debate. The article about what was presented in the time allotted to state Rep. Stephanie Hess, R-Havre, and Democrat Jacob Bachmeier of Havre called the event a debate in the first paragraph. Hess and Bachmeier are running in the race for House District 28 that essentially is the city of Havre.

While some people would have called the event a debate, the complaint is correct. It was not a debate, which allows a participant a rebuttal so they can respond to a comment from their opponent. As was pointed out in a complaint made to the Havre Daily, Hess had to use some time in her closing statement to respond to a comment from Bachmeier about her voting record.

In her close, Hess correctly said her vote in the 2015 legislative session against HJ 19, a resolution that would have stated Montana opposes claiming, taking control of or selling federal land in the state, was a vote on a resolution, not a vote to take control of federal land as Bachmeier claimed.

The use of the term “debate” was a mistake on my part. As editor, I should have noticed that and changed “debate” to “forum.”

I do not believe the format injured either party, however, as each candidate spoke first and spoke last on two questions, putting them in the same situation. While Hess did not comment about her opponent, and Bachmeier did on two or more occasions attack Hess, she could have done the same.

The second complaint is that the only quotations in the article are from Hess, while Bachmeier is paraphrased.

“It looks to the reader as though the newspaper is restating one side’s points in an edited fashion,” the emailed complaint about the article reads.

Again, a valid point and I take responsibility. I noticed when editing the article that Bachmeier received much more space than Hess, and I wanted it balanced out a bit more. Doing so included adding a quote from Hess but not adding a quote from Bachmeier. Again, I should have noticed that the change made the article quote-heavy for Hess with no quotes from Bachmeier and should have had that changed as well.

It was not the intent of the Havre Daily News to slant anything in the forum or in the coverage, and I apologize if our work appears that way to some. I believe the article, however it appeared to readers, was a fairly accurate, unbiased report of what happened at the forum, telling what each candidate said on the issues.

That is our goal. As many say — House District 27 candidate Jim O’Hara of Fort Benton said it during the forum — each election that rolls around seems like the most important election ever held. It is crucial for people to try to know who their candidates are and for what they stand.

It is the goal of the Havre Daily to help provide that information. We at the paper certainly are not perfect, but we want to do our best to provide accurate information to our readers about the candidates — and the officials once they take office — and what they say and do.

As I said, I agree with the comments made by Republican officials about the forum and the coverage, and I should have been a little more on top of things to print a better article. I hope people who have problems with our coverage of events and issues let us know so we can try to improve.

I won’t say we will implement every suggestion, change our coverage or write differently every time someone has a complaint or comment, but we want to know what people think.

Every election is the most important election, and people knowing who their candidates are is crucial for our democracy to work. We will continue to try to provide coverage so people can have that knowledge.

On a final note, knowing the candidates doesn’t help unless people vote. The Havre Daily encourages everyone to make certain they are registered and to vote, whether it is by mail-in ballot, absentee ballot before election day, or at the polls.