Media Networks Should Provide Fair Election Coverage for All
Candidates
Desert Greens/Green Party of Utah
www.GPUT.org
www.desertgreens.org
October 31, 2006
SALT LAKE CITY, UT -- Candidates of Utah's third parties will
hold a press conference and rally on Friday, November 3, 2006 at 5:00pm
at 100 South 400 West, to advocate for fair election coverage by Utah's
Media. The Desert Greens Party, Utah's affiliate of the Green Party of
the United States, is organizing the event.
?There are 44 state Green Parties and DC affiliated with the Green
Party of the United States, Utah being one of them. 31 of those states have ballot access,? states Deanna Taylor, Desert Greens
candidate for Salt Lake County Council District. ?Nationwide 330 Green
Party candidates are running in the November 7 election. Green candidates have already won 24
out of 62 races held so far in 2006 for a win rate of 39%. There are five Desert Greens candidates in Utah,
one of them, Julian Hatch, running for U.S. Senate. We have been very
disappointed that Utah coverage of our candidates, and all third party
candidates, has been missing. Utah voters are being denied access to information about all candidates running for
office. We would like the Utah media to provide fair coverage of all races as a service to Utah
voters.
Shaun Knapp, Constitution Party candidate for Utah Representative,
District 64: ?Utah Media is not giving people the facts. Scott Bradley, for example, a constitutional scholar, is running against
Orrin Hatch and has not been given any coverage. Many other parties and candidates are being marginalized by this lack of
coverage.
Personal Choice Party Candidate for House District
35 Ben Valdez states: ?It is the patriotic duty of all American citizens to
be involved in the political process. We have a government that derives
its power and authority from the governed. It is the job of us, the governed, to hold the feet of our elected public servants to the hot
coals of the US Constitution.
I have no ethical objection to allocating political coverage in rough
proportion to a political constituency's popular support. But strictly
bipartisan election coverage and analysis that omits any mention of candidates nominated by non-incumbent parties
-- essentially treating us as Orwellian "unpersons" -- violates journalistic ethics,? states
Rob Latham, Libertarian Candidate for District Attorney.
Taylor adds, ?All of us paid the same filing fees as our opponents. We
have complied with the same state laws by filing the paperwork required
to get onto the ballot and for running a political campaign. We work hard to get out our messages. We
are making a simple request of Utah media: Give voters ALL the information - cover our
campaigns.
More info: desertgreens@desertgreens.org
or gpu@gput.org