Re: elected officials on the air ...

[Sptseditor@aol.com]

In a message dated 1/3/00 5:31:43 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
ASchinella@aol.com writes:

<< It is frowned upon as a major conflict of interest for an elected official 
to 
 have their own show but I don't think that there are any laws against it 
 right now. I know that it has been done in other markets though.  >>

You cite the example of Rep. Ed Teague -- no disrespect intended, but he 
represents about 10,000 year-round residents on the Cape, in addition to the 
seagulls on the beach and the fish that can pick up WXTK in their gills. 
Meanwhile, Braude is a city-wide representative in a city that has nearly 
100,000 residents (not counting the Harvard, MIT, and Lesley students) and is 
one of the most important cities in the state, given its proximity to Boston 
and its history of policy.

I have nothing personal against the guy. However, if there's a show on (for 
example) how the Cambridge Police are using excessive force, which has been a 
topic in the news recently, how can Braude be trusted to be an impartial 
host? If he is pro-citizen, he could be seen placating those who vote for 
him, or even searching for votes. If he is pro-cop, he's taking the city line.

Another reason why Braude's continued on-air work is even more questionable 
that Cambridge uses a system of "proportional representation" where you rank 
the candidates in order of preference as opposed to our usual elections. With 
nine city-wide council seats in Cambridge, there are usually 15-20 candidates 
running for the seats every other year. That makes it even more of a problem, 
since one candidate could come along and demand that all candidates are given 
equal access to the airwaves. 

I'll keep any future responses off-list, seeing it's more of a political 
issue than a broadcasting one, I guess.

-Sean