Newspapers and political endorsements

I do not believe newspapers should endorse a candidate. We are supposed to report the news, not create it.

 

I've always hated it. I don't care if you slap the word "opinion" on the top of the page, your readers don't make the distinction.

I had a professor in college who looked like he was ready to boot me out of the program on the spot for expressing that opinion.

 

So is this cool?

 

At the paper I used to work for, an endorsement was a kiss of death for a candidate. It seemed the paper's endorsed candidate alway lost. I never liked newspaper endorsements, the same way I don't like some so-called celebrity trying to tell me who to vote for. If a paper does make endorsements, then it should do it on all races. I hate when a paper endorses candidate in numerous races but makes no recommendation in a few other races. If you are in the business of giving readers voting guidance, then guide. If not, STFU.

 

This.
In my shop, I would be doing the reporting and then have to put on my columnist hat for the endorsement, which wouldn't work.
Last spring we had seven candidates running for County Commissioner. In the seven weeks leading up to the primary, we did a Q&A each week with one of the candidates, with most of the questions being consistent for each candidate. I believe I did an editorial talking about the election in terms of what each candidate would bring to the seat, but by no means was it an endorsement.
To make sure there was no favoring, I chose to run the Q&As in order of when the candidates filed for office. In other words, first to file ran first. Seemed to be the most fair way to do it.