Candidate interviews will be available in podcasts
Local elections might seem a long way off, but our interviews with candidates began in early June.
The interviews are held at the Dispatch offices and include the candidate, sometimes the candidate’s aide or communications staff member, members of The Dispatch editorial board, a news reporter or two, and
new this year is a member of the Dispatch.com production team who records each interview.
There are three main purposes for the interviews: They allow reporters to get to know the candidates and ask questions on issues they might cover in news stories leading up to the election. They allow the editorial board to learn more about the candidates for the purpose of making editorial endorsements. And they allow the candidates to speak directly to you while speaking to us.
That third point is not new, because for years we have written about and shared with you what they say, but new this year are the audio recordings that we will make available to you in the form of podcasts on Dispatch.com when we get closer to the election.
During the interviews, we all sit around a table draped in microphones for the interviews, and we make clear to the candidates that what they say is on the record. We offer them the opportunity to make an opening statement about themselves and their goals for public office.
After we have conducted all of the interviews, we will post the podcasts on Dispatch.com so that you can listen to the candidates answering our questions. You’ll be able to play the recordings directly from Dispatch.com on your computer, tablet or cellphone, or download them for listening during your morning jog or commute.
We started the interviews the first week of June, and we begin that far ahead of a Nov. 5 election because it is challenging to coordinate the schedules of multiple candidates and our staff members.
Candidates for four Columbus City Council seats have been dropping by during the past two months, and when we conclude
those interviews, we’ll move on to candidates for the Columbus Board of Education.
We typically also would meet with candidates for mayor of Columbus in this election cycle, but Mayor Andy Ginther is running unopposed.
Some readers have asked why newspapers make endorsements. It’s a longstanding tradition, and today’s Dispatch board members see it as a community service to provide an informed opinion. The board members also know and appreciate that some voters will disagree with their conclusions. To the extent that such disagreements are civil and on the merits, they become fodder for good and informative conversations leading up to an election.
Contrary to what some suggest, it’s never personal with those on the Dispatch editorial board, and the goal is not to support one party over another. The Dispatch record in
recent years demonstrates that well, with a fairly even split in endorsements for Republicans and Democrats.
In short, we’re looking for the best person for each job from among the available choices.
We do our homework, as all voters should do, and conduct interviews. Then, we decide as a board who we believe is best qualified for the position at hand, and we spell out why in an editorial. The board seeks to be transparent about its decisions and hopes that readers will consider those informed opinions along with all of the other information you process while making decisions about how to vote.
The process has been made even more transparent this year with the addition of the audio recordings we will make available to you.
New advisory board picked
The third group of Dispatch Reader Advisory Board members will conclude their year with us this week.
About 30 Dispatch readers have been meeting with