I know it’s kind of a weird thing to say, but I like going to my mailbox every day. There’s usually something fun in there—you know, like my latest copy of Rolling Stone, those random $1.63 settlement checks from some company like AT&T, or that strange direct mail catalog that features compression socks and fiber optic floral arrangements.
Election time blows it all, though. Now my mailbox is stuffed with mailers and fliers that mostly amount to name-calling and finger pointing. It’s like their campaigns are being handled by a bunch of fifth graders (no offense fifth graders). But seriously, I’m waiting for the day when I’m watching a debate and the candidates start with the “yo mama” jokes.
However, recently I saw something on one mailer that was even better than an elementary school put-down. There, on state Assembly candidate Jordan Cunningham’s campaign mailer, was the Sun logo along with the logos of a few other publications. I thought, how could the Sun endorse a candidate and not tell me, their eye in the sky, their ear to the ground, bird about town? Then I read the quote underneath supporting Cunningham. Then I read the tiny print underneath that that said “letter to the editor.”
Aha! Genius tactic. The Sun didn’t endorse him. Someone wrote a letter to the editor and his campaign people pulled that quote and placed it alongside our logo. Technically, his campaign didn’t say that the Sun endorsed him, or that we even made that comment, but sneakily, they made it seem that way.
Interestingly, three of the four quotes were letters to the editor. Two of those three letters were from victims’ advocate Diana Worthington McPartlan; the other was from Patrick McPartlan. The fourth quote was a press release from Cunningham’s campaign announcing his endorsement from SLO County District Attorney Dan Dow.
This is by no means commentary on whether Cunningham would make a good or bad assemblyman, but part of me wants to high five the guy for an excellent marketing strategy and the other part of me wants to say, “Hey! You used our good name to your benefit!” If our paper doesn’t officially endorse candidates, then I object to someone implying we’ve done so.
While our newspaper won’t officially endorse any candidates, I do like to dump on those newspapers that did, especially when those newspapers endorsed Trump—like the Santa Barbara News-Press.
The endorsement has made national news primarily because the News-Press is one of a very few newspapers that have endorsed Trump.
The only words I have for this is, “Why?” and, “As a newspaper, how could you?” Even the Arizona Republic went with a Democratic endorsement for the first time in its 125-year history.
I can understand this for a journalist on a personal level, if you tend to swing to the right. But as a newspaper? Trump isn’t the most media-friendly guy. In fact, I think he’s made it pretty clear that his version of media rights is much different than what a journalist’s job is in actuality. We’re the Fourth Estate, for crying out loud. We’re supposed to stand up against guys—or gals—who want to shut down our ability to hold them accountable.
Of course that’s just my two cents, and I’m just a little yellow bird exercising her freedom of speech.
The Canary says, ‘May the best candidate win.’ Send comments to canary@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Oct 20-27, 2016.