Sioux City Journal Editorial: Candidates should withdraw from KTIV debate
By the Journal Editorial Board | Posted: Thursday, April 1, 2010 1:15 pmSource: Sioux City Journal
The Journal Editorial Board's position on debates for public office is clear: They should be open to the public and the press.
Sioux City NBC affiliate KTIV's decision to bar the media from the April 7 taping of a debate between the three Republican candidates for Iowa governor - the first of the election season - is a short-sighted one. We do not yet know if the candidates explicitly agreed to these ground rules, but it is clear to us that their next move should be to withdraw from this debate.
KTIV's studios are too small to host the public. By also excluding the press, they have shut the public out entirely. KTIV and its affiliates were not planning to air the debate until April 10 and April 11 - three and four days after the taping before a handful of the candidates' friends and supporters.
In fact, they've turned what should be an open and spirited debate into a closed, group interview. This is no debate.
The Journal has hosted debates in the past for a variety of different public offices. Each time, the debate was open to the public and all members of the press. This so-called debate should be no different.
In fact, to that end, the Journal has sent a letter to representatives of Terry Branstad, Rod Roberts and Bob Vander Plaats asking them to withdraw from the KTIV event. Furthermore, we have offered to host a debate on the same day and at the same time at a location that can accommodate the public and the press. We have also offered to broadcast the debate live and supply that broadcast to all other media outlets without restriction.
Other media outlets in Siouxland and across the state are supporting our position. We are also confident our readers believe a debate between the three Republicans seeking the highest office in the state should be an open, transparent event. After all, the whole point of a debate is to inform the public as they prepare to cast their vote in the GOP primary.
We hope the candidates will reconsider their decision to take part in this event. It's the right thing to do.