“There, I played the race card,” said a woman who smacked the table, then backed her chair away.
She was among 20 people at the Beacon Journal on a recent evening discussing politics and news media, eating pizza and awaiting Hillary Clinton’s acceptance speech.
“What if the things said by Donald Trump were coming from a black man?” she asked. He would have no chance of becoming a candidate, let alone president, she insisted.
Race not only haunts this election, but also is at its core, she said.
But can we trust Clinton, others asked.
Over the course of two weeks, more than 40 Akron area residents came to the Beacon Journal to talk about politics and the media and watch Trump and Clinton accept their nominations. Others were interviewed around town, facilitated by the nonpartisan Jefferson Center through funding by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
The reason: Ohio journalists want to give voters a voice in the democratic process.
They were asked what questions they have of the candidates, what information sources they trust, and whether the issues or character are more important.
At the least, they are dismayed by the 2016 election. As one person described it, we’re in a reality television show in which we want no part.
“I feel like Rip Van Winkle and woke up to a society that’s foreign to me,” said Kathy Brennan of Cuyahoga Falls. “The politicians are different, society is different, the technology is different, the nastiness and ugliness is different. The whole atmosphere is not what it used to be. I feel disheartened.”
Some of the participants allowed their names to be used; others were granted anonymity so that they could express themselves without repercussions for their political beliefs.
One woman said she woke up in tears, worried for the country.
A Bernie Sanders activist was furious, citing the recent leaks of Democratic Party emails showing the party worked to support Clinton over Sanders.
His candidate was cheated, he said, and major news organizations participated in the conspiracy. He asked if the Beacon Journal is owned by a news-manipulating conglomerate. (We’re owned by Black Press of Canada. Ownership plays no part in editorial decisions.)
Several asked: “Are Beacon Journal reporters biased?”
Reporters talk about their stories in and out of the newsroom to incorporate diverse viewpoints and data. Those stories go through layers of editing to ensure accuracy and balance. A diverse group of journalists considers which stories go where in the paper and on the web.
News media problem
Voters don’t know who to trust as a source.
That’s a news media problem, and that’s why the Knight Foundation funded the Your Vote Ohio project, which includes conversations and statewide polling to gain clear understanding of the issues most important to Ohioans.
David Trinko, managing editor of the Lima News in northwest Ohio, said the media initiative changed the way his paper covered GOP vice presidential candidate Mike Pence recently.
“It’s done wonders on our election coverage already,” he said. Polling data that reflected what was most important to northwest Ohio drove the questions. “We got shut out of a one-on-one with him, but we still phrased the coverage in light of what [voters] say they care about.”
In about a month, the media group will begin to address your issues in detail, one at a time, with data, perspectives of real people across the state and the positions of Clinton and Trump.
Do you have questions that need answered? Questions you want posed to the campaigns? Questions about the media? Email them to questions@yourvoteohio.org.
Beacon Journal managing editor Doug Oplinger can be emailed at doplinger@thebeaconjournal.com and followed on Twitter @doplinger.