Journalists owe it to readers to expose the truth behind 'war on coal' campaign ads, writer says

In states like West Virginia and Kentucky, politicians are airing coal-related advertisements—many of which blame President Obama for the loss of jobs and downturn in economy. Republicans want to link their Democratic rivals to Obama, while Democrats try to distance themselves from the president. But the ads don't really say anything. And journalists are doing little to clear up the confusion of the ads that are typically geared toward getting an emotional response from voters—without the benefit of facts.

"The television ads are bad enough, and now we’ve got to endure career campaign consultants insulting each other via social media," Ken Ward reports for the Charleston Gazette. "So it would be nice if we had more actual journalism—the kind that gives voters the sort of information that helps make good choices."

Ward cites stories in The New York Times that skirt around the edges of coal-related campaign stories and never really tell the reader what's going on. "Huge advertising campaigns, first by the coal industry and then by coal-backed candidates, have created such widespread fear—based on false descriptions of what’s really killing the mining industry—that coalfield residents will back any measure, action or candidate that they think might save jobs that simply aren’t going to be saved," Ward writes. "Journalism should do more to help readers connect these dots. It should tell the truth."
 
"These kinds of concrete, no-nonsense facts—In Appalachia, the first casualty of the 'war on coal' is the truth about what is causing the steep decline in mining jobs—need to find their way into campaign stories, most clearly and more prominently," Ward writes. "Because elections matter." (Read more)