What a bunch of craven little twits:
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel — Wisconsin’s largest and most influential news organization — won’t be endorsing in the very tight presidential and Senate races this year. (Oct. 17 headline: “Marquette Law School Poll finds presidential and Senate races tied in Wisconsin.”)
[. . .]
Inside the paper, I’m told, there’s the feeling that “we have two tough picks to make and we’re taking a pass,” and the paper is less relevant because of it.
Five years ago, a Journal Sentinel staffer told Milwaukee Magazine that “we should endorse for president or get out of the editorial business.” In the same media column, the head of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee journalism department said: “If you’re not going to editorialize on the most important topic of the day, and if you’re not going to take a stand in the most important presidential election of our lives, what’s the point?”
What's the point, indeed? Yes, this is arguably "the most important presidential election of our lives," which makes the decision not to endorse even more indefensible. But each election is important to readers, and giving them information and advice is part of the editorial page's mission. How can a paper comment day after day on matters great and small and in good conscience sit out the most important topic of all to comment on?
