I was trying to give international observers a Springfield perspective on the upcoming mid-term election. Has there been a problem with misinformation or disinformation during this political campaign? Not really, I told them. Has there been interference with the election process, or with press freedom to report on the election? Not here. I was being interviewed by Vafa Fati-Zada of Azerbaijan and Gunther Guggenberger of Austria, both election observers for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a “sister organization” to the United Nations. Is there much local interest in this election? No, I said, because there’s no presidential election and the governor’s race isn’t close. As journalists, what difficulties do you experience with reporting on the election? Candidates used to clamor for press attention. Now they try to hide, I responded. We discussed the economic decline of mainstream news businesses and the rise of social media, both trends leading to a decline in knowledge of public affairs and interest in politics. They were heading next to Wisconsin where, I said, they’ll find more drama.–Fletcher Farrar, editor and CEO
This article appears in Pipeline protests.
