Shoptalk: Here come the conventions and our coverage of them

BY ELIZABETH G. COOK
SALISBURY POST

The idea may have gotten its inspiration from “Liddy Watch,” a column we’ve been running ever since Salisbury native Elizabeth “Liddy”Dole first expressed interest in seeking the U.S. presidency. As her name has surfaced in stories and on TV programs, we’ve mentioned them in the Liddy Watch column.

Well, we’ll be watching Dole more at the Republican convention next week. So I thought this would be a good time to explain to readers our plans for political coverage for the convention season and to seek your opinion.

We first started laying plans to attend the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia early in the nomination process. Dole was then still in the running for a presidential bid. If she didn’t succeed, we thought there was a chance she could be a vice presidential nominee.

As everyone knows, Dole dropped out of the White House race months ago. And, as time went by and her name was mentioned less and less, it became apparent that she would not be a VP pick, either.

So we debated. Do we drop out of covering the GOPconvention altogether? Or still go, but with a slightly different agenda —some Dole coverage, but also interviews with local delegates and a look at the North Carolina presence there?

That, in turn, begged another question that’s running through a lot of minds right now: What about the Democrats?If we cover the Republican convention, aren’t we obligated to cover the Democratic convention also, even if it’s on the other side of the country?

I’ll tell you what we decided; then you tell me what you think and how we can improve upon it.

We’re making a commitment to give both parties heavy coverage during their convention weeks. Because of Dole’s role, we will send a reporter and photographer to part of the Republican convention in Philadelphia; the rest we’ll get from the Associated Press.

When it comes to the Democratic convention, our coverage will focus more on local impact and reactions, with the Associated Press providing convention coverage from Los Angeles.

We don’t plan to count stories word-by-word, but we aim to offer coverage that is as complete and balanced as we can muster. News could happen that would make this impossible —say, if some sort of unexpected incident sparked prolonged or expanded coverage. But right now these conventions look like routine affairs, a lot of pomp and a dash of circumstance.

Our coverage starts tomorrow, with a story about the local people going to the conventions —Republicans Norene Foster and Mary Messinger, and Democrats Christy Agner and Virginia Graves.

Sunday’s Insight section will carry stories taking a closer look at the GOP convention and the political coming-of-age of George Bush. Look for similar treatment for the Democratic convention and Al Gore next month.

If you’re hunting for bias in all this, I’ll confess it right up front:I believe people should participate in their democracy. They should vote. They should follow the issues. They should resist cynicism about all politicians and go to the trouble to find some to believe in.

Our job is to help by providing you with useful information about the parties, the candidates and their stands. Most of all, we want to serve you, our readers, the citizens who take voting most seriously.

If you have suggestions about how we could do that better, I’d like to hear from you.

n

Elizabeth G. Cook is editor of the Salisbury Post. Her e-mail address is editor@salisburypost.com.