Letters to the editor

Letter to the Editor: Slippery slope

I am writing to express my concerns about our local newspaper ignoring some of the candidates which are appearing on the primary ballot. Somebody at the newspaper has made the subjective decision that "unopposed candidates" do not deserve the same amount of media coverage that candidates running against a challenger deserve for the May election.

This decision is not only a huge slap in the face of hard working candidates from all the different political parties, but it is also a huge disservice to every registered voter in Wood County. And given the fact that the local League of Women Voters has disbanded, it is even a bigger disservice to the fair and balanced flow of candidate information and voter education to the public.

There's a reason why 2024 is called an "election year," it's because it takes the efforts of candidates and volunteers, from January to November, to execute a proper and successful campaign for local elected offices. The May primary is equally important during this marathon, whether a candidate has an opponent or not. And the decision to only disseminate part of the story is a slippery slope toward poor journalistic efforts.

With limited media in Wood County, it should concern voters of any party, when one of only two major media outlets decides to put their thumb on the political scale of a local election. Every candidate on the primary ballot should be given a balanced amount of coverage prior to the election!

Jeff Fox

Parkersburg