IMAGINE if a year consisted solely of autumn and winter. These two seasons would dominate the weather patterns, leaving spring and summer forgotten. Even though all four seasons are equally important, only two would receive any attention due to their overwhelming presence. In much the same way, half of the current presidential race severely lacks publicity - the Democratic contest.
The campaign between Texas Gov. George W. Bush and Arizona Sen. John McCain for the Republican presidential nomination has dominated the media scene for months. It is a tight race that has changed momentum several times. But in the process of covering the captivating race, the media and the public have overlooked the competition between Democratic hopefuls Vice President Al Gore and former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley.
Granted, it's the middle of the Republican national primaries, so that race is bound to get the most attention, especially with McCain's surprising victories in New Hampshire and Michigan. However, this doesn't mean that the other race is of any lesser importance.
Somewhere along the way the Democrats were forgotten. Long before the primaries even began, the media set its focus on how much money Bush had raised and whether or not underdog McCain could arise and trim Bush. Little or no attention was paid to Gore's campaign, and even less to Bradley's. The Democratic primaries may not begin in earnest until March 7th, but that's no excuse for the utter lack of attention given to the candidates and their platforms over the past few months.
The media needs to supply the public with as much information about Gore and Bradley as possible now so voters can make wise decisions based on facts, rather than blindly selecting a candidate who has been virtually invisible in the public realm.
Of course, the Republican candidates deserve the chance to present their views. But as the competition has escalated, the time devoted to Republicans has tipped the scales so that hardly anything is heard of Democratic opinions and platforms. The disproportionate number of articles in newspapers and the unbelievable difference in TV airtime - mostly highlighting Republican controversy - hardly seem proper for such an important event as a presidential election.
In the Saturday, Feb. 26 edition of The Washington Post, two articles about the Republican candidates were on the front page. It wasn't until page A6 that an article on Bradley's environmental concerns appeared, and it just so happened that the rest of the page was devoted to the Republican candidates and their fundraising strategies. Rarely does news about Democratic candidates make the front page, let alone the lead news story.
Some may argue that the Democratic campaign isn't as important because Bradley is unlikely to win the nomination. But part of the reason why Bradley's chances are limited is precisely because there has been poor coverage of him. If Bradley had gotten as much coverage as underdog McCain, he could attract additional supporters, and pull off surprising primary victories.
It's a shame that so much media attention is devoted to only one side of the race, but there are ways to give both sides a fair glance. If not enough news is presented about a subject or candidate, American voters should dig deeper to seek out the missing parts. If one wants to know about a candidate who isn't covered enough in the news, such as Gore and Bradley, it's easy enough to use the Internet to read up on an individual. Each candidate has his own Web site devoted to his campaigns and views. These Web sites also help paint an overall picture of the candidate while providing links to speeches and quotes about that candidate. In an age where nearly everything can be done online, this is a good way to expand past the Republican-only coverage that has plagued newspapers.
This election year will be incomplete if the current state of campaign coverage in the media continues. The Republican situation may produce headlines, but the Democratic side of the race has been under represented severely. Should coverage continue along these lines, it is the responsibility of American voters to inform themselves in order to make a wise choice in November.
(Brandon Almond's column appears Wednesdays in The Cavalier Daily.)
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