NY Times Suggests that Sharpton and Kucinich be Silenced
An editorial in the Hilltop from Howard University
NY Times Suggests that Sharpton and Kucinich be Silenced
Published: Tuesday, February 3, 2004
In an editorial the New York Times called for candidates Dennis Kucinich and Al Sharpton to be excluded from future debates in the contest for the Democratic Party presidential nomination.
Said the Times, "Representative Dennis Kucinich has every right to keep campaigning despite his minuscule vote tallies, but he should not be allowed to take up time in future candidate debates.
Neither should the Reverend Al Sharpton, who is running to continue running, not to win." The Time's primary reason for making these claims was because these candidates have low votes.
Although editorials are opinion based, we ask who are the Times to imply that those two candidates should be excluded from debates? This is undoubtedly a slanted view of democracy.
Not to mention the fact that the Times' slam on Kucinich and Sharpton came as the Democratic primary race had rarely begun, with primary events having only taken place in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Although Sharpton and Kucinich may not be the favorites in the polls, everyone deserves equal time. Just because they're not doing well doesn't mean that their airtime should be taken away.
The primary debates are one of the principal venues for prospective candidates to air their views. If the media stopped showing the opinions of the "underdog" candidates, they would by default be endorsing a select few candidates. This is not the democracy that our country strives for.
The candidates who are not necessarily popular in the polls often receive a lackadaisical attitude. But what people do not realize is that these candidates that keep the elections balanced. Someone has to be at the bottom of the polls. To imply that because someone is not winning they do not deserve to be heard is ridiculous.
We understand that people want to hear from the candidates that have the strongest chances of winning, but the candidates who are not doing so well should not be brushed to the side.
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