Iowa series put presidential politics in suburban context
We know what's happening in Iowa can be relevant in the suburbs and has connections to suburban interests.
I often think of the Daily Herald in a phrase similar to the characterization of one of our Reader Report Card respondents this fall. "I guess you're like the scrappy little upstart going against the big guys," the reader wrote.
We're not exactly an upstart -- we've been in business more than 135 years and a daily since 1970 -- but the growth of our influence is certainly recent compared to the city metros, and to be sure, our reach and resources have yet to approach those of our major competitors. Because of that, we have to be selective and resourceful in the way we cover some stories. We don't concede them, by any means, but we do have to work hard to find ways to cover them that are simultaneously authoritative and appropriate to our mission as a local voice.
Case in point: presidential politics. Clearly, the action in the presidential primaries this month is taking place in Iowa, where candidates are scrambling for attention and a rousing launch to the primary campaign season. The Daily Herald doesn't have the resources to post reporters with every candidate in the days leading up to the Iowa caucuses, nor do we think that our readers are hanging on every speech and poll change of the Iowa campaign.
But we do know what's happening in Iowa can be relevant in the suburbs and has connections to suburban residents and interests. So our political editor, David Beery, and night photo editor, Patrick Kunzer, headed to Iowa last week to chronicle some of those connections. A series of stories and pictures concludes in today's edition, with video presentations on our Web site, www.dailyherald.com
The series, of course, required much more than just a flight to Des Moines and a quick look around town to see whether John Edwards or Mike Huckabee showed up. Beery and Kunzer spent the weeks before the four-day trip identifying suburbanites who are players in various campaigns and vetting topics worth pursuing. Among their biggest challenges was one we'll face throughout the campaign -- how to cover activities of Illinois' favorite son and favorite daughter without suggesting that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are the newspaper's personal favorites.
Not that the paper has anything against Obama and Clinton; our editorial position on presidential candidates is far from being determined. But many readers confuse coverage of a candidate as tacit support for that person. As Illinois' junior senator from Chicago and an international figure, Obama holds peculiar interest to the Chicago-area's suburbs. As a Park Ridge native who has a real chance to become the nation's first woman president, Hillary Clinton likewise attracts interest from suburban voters that transcends her mere candidacy. For both candidates, we strive to satisfy these reader interests, but pointedly avoid suggesting we are promoting one person or another.
Beery and Kunzer did a remarkable job on that score for their Iowa stories. In addition to tracking supporters for Obama and Clinton, they found activists supporting camps ranging from lesser-known names like Bill Richardson and Ron Paul to celebrities like John McCain and Rudolph Giuliani. Just as important, they looked at communities in Iowa to see which issues candidates are responding to there would be shared by people in the Chicago area.
The presidential campaign season is going to heat up in earnest in Illinois next month, with Iowa setting the tone Jan. 3, the New Hampshire primary following that and then the Feb. 5 primary in Illinois and two dozen other states. The Daily Herald's coverage may not be as voluminous as you find elsewhere, but our Iowa series should show you it can be something just as important.
The word "scrappy" comes to mind.