Muckraking

'Tis the season for muckraking and lots of it. Lately, there is nothing but bad news in the news. Politics seem no longer the work of seeking a position to aid a community by claiming their confidence to vote for you. The ideal seems to try and convince your potential voters that you have a plan in place, one that your Party, if you have one, approves of, and will support. The plan, ideally, should be well thought out and be made clear to your electors. The "plan" must make sense and be based on actual, plausible and possible outcomes. Your appearance, while not all-important, should be that which shows your voters that you are serious about what you intend to do if elected and be based not on fashion. Your talks to audiences should be simple and strong and reflect your sincerity and determination to do what is best for them. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to happen much. Politicians hie off to make-over gurus and get the latest haircuts, and garb. Most of what I see and hear in this nasty pre-election season is fraught with vicious attacks on the opponents and seems wholly focussed on trying to smear other politicians in power or not, by nitpicking their every action, history and, yes, looks, in negative terms. If the present administration has done what is lawful and right under the constitution, unfortunately, even this can be painted in dark shades. Recently, I saw an article that is an example of this low kind. The incumbent being criticized followed the law but is condemned for doing so. Charged as "heartless" was the mud word slung. But it is certain that if the same incumbent did not follow the law, the criticizing viewpoint would be presented as equally wrong. How confusing for readers. As a citizen about to enter the voting box, I am constantly having to read very carefully what I consider misleading and mistaken and misinterpreted material on everything being tossed into the media about the election candidates. The most recent one, of which I speak was done by an experienced reporter who obviously was for the anti-incumbent and try as I might to see its value, the tone of the article attempted to take the downside as an upside. Whoa! Those in power in our governments must do what is legal. After all, they are the major body that makes laws. That's their job. Why are they criticized for following what has been approved and passed by it? I find this sort of journalistic shallow muckraking, disgusting. What I need as a voter, is fact, not some kind of tale complete with horrendous pictures that are meant to rend the heart. I need hard facts with statistics and sensible reasoning and a clear statement of what exactly the reporter is attempting to present. Report. Don't politic me. I have to ignore emotional rants about how "cruel" the government is alongside photos of migrants hanging over the side of a ship somewhere else. Give me a plan. Make cool comparisons and clear reasonings. Dear Press, stop the mud slinging and name calling. Readers deserve reporting, not muckraking. Report. Voters are able to see through bad journalism. Don't waste ink. We need unbiased facts before we cast that one precious vote.